PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONCR / RACE GUIDE

Media Maratón de Cartago

Name: Abraham Serrano destacó en la media maratón de Cartago
Uploaded: 2026-04-21
Description: This half marathon takes place in Cartago, Costa Rica. Full marathon is held alongside it. The race starts at Paseo Metropoli Mall and descends to Orosi. The course is essentially downhill throughout

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Cartago
CR

Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz · CC BY-SA 4.0Mexch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Fred Hsu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Race date Apr expected: April 2027
City · Distance: Cartago · 42km · 21km
Entry fee: $50From the 2026 edition
Status: SoonSee how to enter ↗

2027Date April 2027 · expected · Soon

2026Date Apr 12, 2026

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 11, 2026

About the race How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

This half marathon takes place in Cartago, Costa Rica.

Full marathon is held alongside it.

The race starts at Paseo Metropoli Mall and descends to Orosi.

The course is essentially downhill throughout, making it favorable for fast times.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

#Cartago Half Marathon#Cartago#April Marathon#Full marathon Marathon#World certified marathon

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

No runner reports yet. We'll add them here as they come in.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Finisher vlog

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

From the 2026 edition

General entry

Online registration via the official platform, with seasonal price increases (11/21–1/31: 21k $45 · 42k $60 → from 2/1: 21k $55 · 42k $80).

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 42km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

From the 2026 edition

City center · not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet. The map shows the host city.

Original course map · abuenpaso.cr

The course starts at Mall Paseo Metrópoli, staying largely flat through the first half before a net downhill run into Orosi —

a layout eligible for Boston Marathon qualifying times.

AIMS Certified: Member race of the AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races)

Participant benefits

Not yet confirmed in the official race guide

From the most recent edition

Event T-shirt 2026

Finisher medal 2026

Timing chip 2026

This may change for the next edition.

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startno metro/rail — start at Mall Paseo Metrópoli, Cartago (1,427m elevation)
Getting to the finishno metro · rail — finish in Orosi (1,055m elevation), ~30km from Cartago center

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

no metro/rail — start at Mall Paseo Metrópoli, Cartago (1,427m elevation)

The 2026 event is organized/listed via abuenpaso.cr and sites.chronotrack.com/event/89310. Point-to-point downhill course: 42k starts 5:00 AM, 21k starts 5:15 AM. Historically an organizer bus departed Parque Central de Cartago ~3:00 AM with a stop at Momentum Pinares ~3:20 AM (exact-year schedule unconfirmed).

Map

Getting to the finish

no metro/rail — finish in Orosi (1,055m elevation), ~30km from Cartago center

Finish is in a different town from the start (net 372m descent). No confirmed organized return shuttle from Orosi for 2026; regular public buses run the Orosi-Cartago route as a fallback — confirm return transport with organizers (WhatsApp 8843-3765) before race day.

Map

Start shuttle

Organizer bus to start has run in past editions (Parque Central Cartago ~3:00 AM, Momentum Pinares ~3:20 AM); no confirmed post-race shuttle from Orosi for 2026.

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The course is largely flat for the first half and net downhill toward Orosi, making it a fast, Boston-qualifier-eligible course.

The race starts early at 5 a.m.

Times are local to Cartago. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Hotel Y Restaurante El Guarco

Hotel · 2.5km

8.5/10(156)

View on Booking.com

Cartago car rental (EconomyBookings)

Compare rates from various rental car companies, self-drive (price confirmed at time of reservation) · Make reservation after checking price

View on EconomyBookings

San José Coffee Tour

$36

Media Maratón de Cartago

About Media Maratón de Cartago — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run