Ibiza Marathon 2027: can you handle a 3:45 p.m. start?

Ibiza, Spain

1The Marathon Starts at 15:45, with the Finish Line Closing at 21:10

The marathon starts at 15:45 from Port d’Eivissa, the 12K at 16:00 from the marina in Santa Eulària (provisional), and the 22K at 17:15 from Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera, a village in the center of the island. Three starts, spread across 90 minutes, converge on one place: the seafront promenade in Santa Eulària des Riu. The marathon cut-off is 5 hours 25 minutes, with the finish line closing at 21:10.

Ibiza’s average daily temperature in April is 15.8°C. On paper, that looks like ideal spring running weather, but the start comes at the tail end of the afternoon heat. After the first 1km of the 12K on April 18, 2026, the runner behind the Paul Beverley YouTube channel gave the camera a succinct assessment: "There's barely any shade anywhere."

The runner behind the Mathew Watt YouTube channel reached Port d’Eivissa 2 hours before starting the marathon that same day. At the start line, he said: "It's hot. First half is up hills...

we're going to go get some shade." That sentence covers everything needed before the gun.

Ibiza MarathonSat, April 10, 2027 · D-194 · Ibiza, SpainSee race details

Ibiza, Spain

2An Uphill First Half and Closing Times at Five Checkpoints

The course, certified by the Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA), passes through 4 of the island’s 5 municipalities. In a video posted to the Nick Ibizahire YouTube channel the day after the 2026 race, the runner summed up the route in one line at the start: "42 km Ibiza town to Santa Gertrudis and up the east coast. It's very hot."

At halfway, he picked up the camera again. "The heat and the hills are brutal, but we are at halfway." On the bridge into Santa Eulària at 30km, he said: "The next 12K is going to be very tough."

A runner who raced here in 2021 and filed a report for the German running outlet marathon4you put the course’s total elevation gain at about 400m. Yet he wrote that he barely noticed it. Aid stations come roughly every 5km.

In 2026, fruit was available at 20, 25, 30 and 35km, with energy gels at 20, 30 and 35km. There are 5 cut-offs: 10km at 17:00, 20km at 18:15, 27km at 19:15, 30km at 19:45 and 37km at 20:40. The first is comfortable at 7:30/km.

The last is the problem. A runner who barely clears 37km at 20:40 has 30 minutes to cover the remaining 5.2km. Every cut-off is based on gun time, so runners starting in the rear corrals have less margin.

For anyone focused on finishing, the race plan needs to reach 37km at around 20:10.

Ibiza, Spain

322K cut-off: 3 hours; carry a water bottle for the 12K, too

The 22K starts at 17:15, 90 minutes after the marathon, as the sun begins to drop. After the early climbs and descents around Santa Gertrudis, the course opens into a fast run across the island’s interior. The cut-off is 3 hours.

In 2026, pacers ran at 1 hour 40 minutes, 2 hours and 2 hours 15 minutes. For runners chasing a time in the 22K, those three groups set the benchmarks. The finish is on the same seafront promenade as the marathon.

The 12K starts by the sea and is completely flat, with a cut-off of 1 hour 45 minutes; the finish line closes at 17:45. Flat did not mean easy. By the time the runner behind the Paul Beverley channel reached the first aid station at 5.6km, it had already run out of water.

"At water stop one, totally out, cleaned out." He relied on electrolyte drink until finally getting water at 7km, then finished in 1 hour 19 minutes. Beyond the finish line, he opened a bag containing an orange, drinks, water and chocolate and laughed that it felt like Christmas.

The shorter the race, the less time spent in the sun. That does not make the aid stations any closer. Even for the 12K, start with a small bottle of water in hand.

Ibiza, Spain

4Bib pickup, start-line shuttle and final return bus at 21:00

Bib and runner bag collection takes place at the expo in Santa Eulària, where the finish line is located. In 2026, the expo was held at the Ibiza Conference Centre (Palau de Congressos d'Eivissa) from 10:00 to 20:00 on Friday and 9:00 to 13:00 on Saturday. The venue and opening hours for 2027 have not yet been announced.

Under the 2027 rules, runners who miss the expo may collect their bib only on race day: marathon bibs from 13:45 to 15:00 at Ibiza Port, and 22K bibs from 14:00 to 16:30 in Santa Gertrudis. The expo and finish line are in Santa Eulària; the marathon starts at Ibiza Port, on the other side of the island. Race shuttles are available only to runners who reserved a seat during registration.

The wristband issued with the bib serves as the ticket. In 2026, buses left the expo for the port every 30 minutes from 12:30 to 14:00, with service also running to the 22K start in Santa Gertrudis. Public transport brought more uncertainty.

When the bus carrying Paul Beverley’s group of 12K runners was stopped by road closures, they shared an Uber ordered by another entrant and sent 20 euros toward the fare. In 2021, a runner writing for marathon4you struggled to find the prebooked return bus because no one knew where it stopped, eventually learning that it left from outside the town hall. In 2026, the final race shuttle from the finish line back to Ibiza Port departed at 21:00—10 minutes before the marathon finish line closed.

Ibiza, Spain

5Official accommodation near the finish line: Riomar, 150m away

Of the 6 official hotels, 3 published their distance from the finish line: Hotel Riomar at 150m, and Meliá and Aguas de Ibiza at 250m. For runners finishing late, that distance translates directly into recovery time. The closest of the 3, Hotel Riomar, is a beachfront property in Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio.

Its 2026 race rate started at 100 euros per person per night in a double room, excluding VAT, and included breakfast, 1 bottle of water each day, 24-hour fitness facilities and late checkout subject to availability. According to the hotel, guests have direct beach access, free yoga and Pilates classes at 8:30 a.m.

in its outdoor wellness space, Tribe, and access to a LUMI ice bath in the same area. Hotel Riomar told PacerTrip that for the 2027 race it is preparing a runner’s menu and plans to offer runners free recovery services, including the ice bath. Nothing has been officially announced.

The other 5 varied widely. Meliá, 20m from the expo, started at 191 euros. Aguas de Ibiza started at 129 euros with spa access, while Mongibello started at 81.82 euros with free use of the gym and pool.

Anfora in Es Canar started at 75 euros and included yoga and Pilates. Invisa in Es Figueral started at 43 euros; the hotel information for the same area already lists a runner’s menu at 30 euros per person. Anfora was the only official hotel that did not sell out in 2026.

Cancellation terms also differed: up to 24 hours before arrival at Meliá, 7 days at Anfora and 30 days at Hotel Riomar. The others offered free cancellation with a medical certificate.

Ibiza, Spain

6Finisher reviews: heat, hills and an island worth returning to

The runner behind the Mathew Watt channel arrived on the island on Thursday. He picked up his bib at the expo on Friday morning and stood on the start line Saturday afternoon. Around 10km in, he thought he would not make it.

In a video filmed by the pool the day after the race, he said: "It was definitely the hardest marathon I've ever done. The heat, the hills, it was unbelievable." Usually there are moments to enjoy through 30km, he said, but this time there was nothing enjoyable until the finish line.

Even so, he finished among the front group in the standings. That evening, the day after the race, he went to Cafe Mambo to watch the sunset. Near the end of the video, he reflected on the island: "Ibiza has been best place.

Absolute best place. First time being here and can't wait to come back." The price is the heat and 400m of climbing.

In return come a seaside finish line and a few more days on the island. That is the exchange this race is selling. For runners who find the price too high, Ibiza is unlikely to be the right race.