Rock 'n' Roll Mexico City Half Marathon: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Mexico City)

Paseo de la Reforma is a wide boulevard lined with jacarandas, glass towers and traffic circles, and each one has a monument at its centre. On Sunday, December 13, 2026, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series closes it to cars for a half marathon and a 10K. Bands play beside the course and a concert follows the finish.

This is the Mexico City race in the series known for putting music along the route. It has two distances, so a runner and a less committed partner can both take part on the same morning.

A morning on Reforma

Reforma is a good stage for a race. It runs diagonally from the edge of the historic centre towards Chapultepec Park, and its roundabouts work as landmarks a runner can count off.

The best known is the Ángel de la Independencia, a gilded victory figure on a tall column. Others along the boulevard include the Diana Cazadora fountain and the sculptures in the median. The route stays on Reforma, but the exact start, finish and turnarounds come from the organiser’s course map. This guide does not guess at them.

Mexico City residents already know the boulevard without cars. On ordinary Sundays it closes for the Muévete en Bici cycling programme, so a Sunday race fits a weekly habit.

The altitude and the December air

Mexico City sits at about 2,240 metres. Your lungs notice that before your legs do. Runners coming from sea level usually treat this race as a training run rather than a chance at a personal best, and many give themselves several days in the city before race morning.

December is part of the dry season. Mornings are cool and the afternoons are often bright. Runners typically wear layers to the start, such as an old sweatshirt they can drop, and expect the sun to feel stronger at altitude than the temperature suggests.

A few things visiting runners usually find useful:

• Pacing: start slower than usual, because the thin air shows up in the second half.
• Hydration: at altitude you lose more fluid than you expect, even in cool air.
• Sunscreen: the high-altitude sun burns quickly once the morning haze lifts.
• Tap water: visitors drink bottled or filtered water, not water from the tap.

Getting to the course without a car

Driving in on race day is the hard option, since Reforma itself is closed. Most participants use public transport or walk from a hotel nearby.

• Metro Line 1 (the pink line) runs parallel to Reforma, with stations such as Insurgentes, Sevilla and Chapultepec a short walk from the boulevard.
• Metrobús Line 7 normally runs along Reforma, but the route is usually diverted or suspended when the road is closed.
• Ride-hailing apps work across the city, though drop-offs end up on side streets away from the closed boulevard.

Visiting runners usually stay in Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, Roma Norte or Polanco. From all four you can walk to Reforma, and they have plenty of breakfast places for the morning after.

Race-day habits in Mexico City

Spectators here are loud and generous. They cheer with “¡Vamos!” and “¡Sí se puede!”, and families often line the median with handmade signs. Runners who write their first name on their bib tend to hear it called out.

Some practical habits that work in the city:

• Money: cards are accepted in most restaurants and hotels. Street stalls selling tamales, atole or fresh fruit usually take pesos in cash.
• Tipping: at sit-down restaurants a tip of about 10–15% is customary and is usually left separately from the card payment.
• Language: a few words of Spanish go a long way. Medio maratón is the half marathon, and hidratación signs mark the water stations.
• Bag drop and corrals: these follow the series’ usual system, and the organiser’s race-week information covers how they work for this event.

Ticket prices, start times and packet pickup are not in this guide because we have not been given them. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series handles registration and the official race information.

The concert and the rest of the day

The post-race concert turns the finish area into a gathering point. Runners in medals and foil blankets stay on with friends who came to watch.

Chapultepec Park is at the western end of Reforma. Inside it are the National Museum of Anthropology and Chapultepec Castle, which make an easy afternoon for anyone with legs left. Museum hours vary, and each museum lists them on its own website.

To the east, the boulevard leads towards the Alameda Central and the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and from there into the Centro Histórico. A slow walk through the old centre is how plenty of runners loosen up after a race.

Who this race suits

The 10K suits first-time racers and anyone worried about the altitude. The half marathon suits runners who want a big-city course with music along the way and accept a slower time than they would get at sea level.

It also works as the reason for a December trip. You run on Sunday morning and spend the rest of the week eating your way through a city that stays lit up for the holidays.