The Behobia-San Sebastian road race will maintain its modified 20.196-kilometer course for the third year, preventing the nearly 30,000 registered participants from tackling the traditional route. CD Fortuna, the race organizer, originally implemented the diversion in 2024 due to urban construction and the demolition of a railway bridge in Irun.
Construction Work Forces Route Alteration in Irun
The course change originates in the Ventas neighborhood of Irun, where the demolition of the railway bridge on Elizatxo Avenue in 2024 forced organizers to alter the layout around the fourth kilometer. Runners now turn onto Molino Road and navigate through the Letxumborro Avenue industrial estate before rejoining the historical path near the fire station roundabout. CD Fortuna initially indicated that the detour would span the 2024 and 2025 editions, but ongoing urbanization prevents a return to the original route for the upcoming Sunday race.
«The work in the area is not completely finished, and when the urbanization tasks are finalized, we will have to see if the old route can be resumed», race general coordinator Iñigo Etxeberria explained. «For the moment, we do not know how that Elizatxo Avenue will look, what elements there will be, and if it will be possible to pass through there in the future. The only thing they have confirmed to us is that there will be no road». Because of these persistent infrastructure changes, the course measures 20.196 kilometers rather than the 20 kilometers established in 2014, when organizers changed the layout of the unhomologated race.
Demanding Elevation Profile Tests Runners Across Guipuzcoa
The Behobia-San Sebastian features a total positive elevation gain of 192 meters, demanding careful pacing from the thousands of athletes who travel from Behobia to the Boulevard in Donostia-San Sebastian. The course winds through the centers of Irun, Errenteria, Pasai Antxo and Donostia, flanked by crowds of spectators. Major climbs arrive at Gaintzurizketa around the seventh kilometer and the Alto de Miracruz near the sixteenth kilometer, prompting CD Fortuna to repeatedly advise runners to regulate their efforts carefully.
Although participants often compare the event to a standard half marathon—which carries a homologated distance of 21.097 kilometers—the Behobia is shorter by roughly one kilometer yet significantly more punishing due to its hills. Elite runners frequently record faster times here than on official half-marathon tracks. Last year, women’s winner Katherine Tisalema of Ecuador clocked 1h09:34, well under her 1h12:13 personal best in the half marathon. In the men’s division, Iraitz Arrospide finished third last year in 1h01:46 compared to his 1h02:56 best in the official distance, while three-time winner Chakib Lachgar won the 2023 race in 59:56 after holding a 1h01:45 personal record in the half marathon.
Uncertainty Remains Over Permanent Circuit Layout
With road configurations on Elizatxo Avenue still undecided by local planners, CD Fortuna cannot confirm whether the 20.196-kilometer layout will become permanent after this year’s event. Organizers await the total completion of neighborhood construction projects to evaluate future street layouts, leaving the exact distance of future editions dependent on municipal engineering decisions in Irun.
