The 38th edition of the Carrera Nocturna del Guadalquivir KH7 takes place on Friday, September 25, 2026, in Seville, Spain, featuring a record-breaking participation of 26,000 runners. The mass-participation running event brings a major shift to the capital of Andalusia by reversing its route for the first time since 2014.
One of Europe’s most multitudinous popular races, the event maintains its 8.5-kilometer, virtually flat course. However, race officials confirmed that the direction of the march is inverted compared to recent editions, altering how participants move through the streets of Seville during the Friday night event.
Official Course Route and Inverted Direction for 2026
The 2026 layout introduces a reverse orientation while utilizing much of the familiar street grid. Runners gather at the Paseo de las Delicias, where both the start and finish lines are established. Following the 22:00 start, the race route takes competitors past the Glorieta de Marineros before heading onto La Rábida and Palos de la Frontera.
From there, the course proceeds toward the Avenida de El Cid, passes the Plaza Juan de Austria, and moves along the Avenida de Menéndez y Pelayo. The path continues through the Ronda Histórica, covering Recaredo, María Auxiliadora, and the Avenida de Ronda de Capuchinos. After passing Muñoz León and the Parlamento de Andalucía, runners hit Resolana and the Glorieta Duquesa Cayetana de Alba to reach Torneo.
The final stretch guides participants toward Arjona and the Paseo de Cristóbal Colón before returning to the Paseo de las Delicias, finishing near the Glorieta de Buenos Aires. The organization keeps the finish line open until 00:00, two hours after the starting gun.
Tactical Advantages of the Reverse Layout
According to race organizers, reversing the direction of the course helps manage congestion through some of the city’s busiest sectors. The inverted setup provides greater spatial width during the final kilometers. Runners reach the Arjona tunnel after the main pack has naturally thinned out, transitioning from the three lanes of Torneo to the four lanes of the tunnel, and eventually expanding across the six available lanes on the Paseo Colón.
Participants access the starting zones beginning at 21:00 via designated entry points. The start chute is organized into two distinct starting blocks (cajones) determined by each runner’s personal best time recorded in the IMD #Sevilla10 circuit of popular races across 2024, 2025, or 2026. A hydration station is positioned near the midpoint of the course, and liquid refreshments are made available to runners immediately after crossing the finish line.
Historical Context and Preparations
The shift to a reverse layout breaks a twelve-year continuity that began when the route was established in 2014. Prior iterations of the event featured various configurations, including longer routes exceeding 11 or 12 kilometers that started in Cartuja and finished at the Olympic Stadium or crossed into Triana during the early 2010s.
Compared to the 2025 edition, this year’s course removes the Glorieta de San Diego and the Avenida de María Luisa while integrating La Rábida and Palos de la Frontera to link the Glorieta de Marineros directly to the Avenida de El Cid. Packet and bib collection for registered runners opened on Saturday, September 19, at Torre Sevilla, running daily through September 25.
