Are you a passionate runner? Do you like to travel while enjoying your favorite sport? Would you like to participate in a night race? If you have answered yes to the three previous questions, you are already a potential runner for the Bilbao Night Marathon. We tell you everything about the 2019 edition.
What is the Bilbao Night Marathon?
Literally in Spanish, it is the "Bilbao night marathon", organized by the Bilborun Athletics Club, with an average of more than 12,000 participants.
Dates
What has become the unmissable sports event of the autumn has been held for 11 consecutive years. Specifically, this 2019 will take place on Saturday, October 19th.
Marathon or half marathon
Once again, runners can choose between the three distances approved by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA): the pirate race (10k), the half marathon (21k), and the marathon (42k).
Route and refreshments
The starting point is the same for everyone: the San Mamés stadium, from where the exciting route through the main streets of Bilbao will begin until reaching the Guggenheim Museum. With a maximum time of five hours to complete the longest race, runners will have refreshment zones with water every 2.5 km, as well as people with flags on their backs who will act as hares during the two races over 20 km.
Registrations
Unfortunately, registrations are already full.
Where to sleep?
Since resting well and eating properly before the race are two of the main requirements for any runner whose goal is good performance, it is essential to choose a comfortable and nearby hotel to the place where the race will take place. For this reason, we suggest staying at the Silken Indautxu, a four-star hotel with renovated interiors and located in the financial and commercial heart of the city. Due to its strategic location in the center, it will only take you 15 minutes on foot to reach the starting point, San Mamés, and seven minutes to return from the finish line, the Guggenheim Museum. Additionally, our hotel also has one of the best gastronomic venues in the city, the Etxaniz restaurant, where you can enjoy traditional Basque cuisine in the most innovative way without leaving the hotel.
Music and fireworks
In two consecutive laps of 21k each, the urban marathon will go through the main streets and monuments of Bilbao: Euskalduna, Gran Vía, Arriaga Theater, Old Town, City Hall, Isozaki Towers, and Calatrava Bridge, among others. As with any race, it is about running and reaching the finish line but also enjoying the route and the festive atmosphere. To facilitate this purpose, the city will transform for one night into a spectacle around running that will include light shows and pyrotechnics along various points of the route. At the same time, a giant screen installed at the Guggenheim Museum will show live images of the race progress, while on the stage, music groups, dance, and DJs will entertain both the audience and the runners arriving. While participants in the half marathon and marathon must be at least 18 years old, the minimum age to participate in the pirate race is 16 years. Bilbao stops at night to pay tribute to sport and live it to the fullest with one of the main sporting, festive, and cultural events not only in the city but in the peninsula, the Night Marathon. We await you in Bilbao with your running shoes on!
