At present there are no parkruns in Spain, which is a great shame for those taking a holiday and wanting to indulge in a little parkrun tourism. It’s surely only a matter of time however before the bug that is parkrun sweeps over from France and into Spain and Portugal. Whilst founded in the UK, parkrun has become something of a global phenomena and has grown in popularity in many countries across the globe, but it’s yet to reach some of our closest and most popular neighbours.
Running Events in Spain
If you’re on holiday in Spain and keen to enjoy a run, it’s not the end of the road just because parkrun doesn’t have an official event. You could of course plan a route before you head out and either use your favourite running app, or take your phone and take advantage of free data roaming to navigate and track your route. Or why not look up a local running club / group, many have social media pages and from our experience of running Cyprus, very welcoming to all. Drop them a note and see what days they run and if you’d be welcome. Or of course, you could take it a little more seriously and enter an official running event in Spain. From smaller / local events held all over Spain, to major international events, if you’re serious about running in Spain, we’re sure you’ll find an event to suit you ambitions. Just some of the running events available in Spain include;
- Bilbao Night Marathon
- Canaries Infinity Xtreme (Tenerife)
- Ibiza Marathon (and half marathon)
- The Malaga Marathon
- EDP ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid Marathon (and half marathon)
Parkrun in Mallorca?
Like mainland Spain, Mallorca has yet to ride the wave that is parkrun. Spain’s biggest and busiest Balearic island, a parkrun in Mallorca would surely be a huge success, but alas we’re not there yet. What we can say however is that as soon as the first parkrun arrives in Spain, we’ve confident that Mallorca will follow and host an event.
Parkrun in the Canaries?
Nope, not yet, but again it’s only a matter of time before your favourite weekly, free, timed 5k run makes an appearance here. A favourite for triathlon and team training breaks, whilst you’ll unlikely relish the idea of a 5k run up any of the islands mountains, some of its flatter coastal paths would make an ideal route for a parkrun in the canary islands.
Parkrun in Portugal?
Much like Spain, parkrun fever has yet to arrive in Portugal at time of writing, however we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the launch of the parkrun brand and its events in the not too distant future. With hundreds of events in the UK, 8 in France, 15 in Italy and 22 in Germany, parkrun is spreading its wings in Europe and we’re confident that you’ll soon be able to enjoy a parkrun in Portugal whilst on Holiday. We expect Lisbon to hold the inaugural parkrun in Portugal however the Algarve will no doubt also prove a popular location for parkrun tourism as the millions that fly through Faro Airport will no doubt be more than happy to pack their running shoes for their holiday.
And you’re welcome to take advantage of our parkrun car hire discount, whilst designed for parkrunners, we’re a friendly bunch and always happy to share our best offers with fellow runners, parkrun or otherwise.
Click here to access the discount.