Lanzarote Marathon (Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon): Dates, Tickets & Venue (Teguise)

Black lava, white walls, a December start line

Costa Teguise is a low resort town on the east coast of Lanzarote. It sits on dark volcanic ground beside the Atlantic. The buildings are mostly whitewashed, low-rise and trimmed in green or blue, a look the island has kept since the artist César Manrique campaigned against high-rise building.

On Saturday, December 5, 2026, the Lanzarote Marathon brings its races to that seafront. The event’s full name is the Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon, and Spanish speakers call it the Maratón Internacional de Lanzarote. Alongside the 42.2 km race there is a half marathon and a set of shorter distances. That mix means a family can come with one runner going long and another doing a quick lap.

Dates, entries and the race programme

The 2026 edition is held on Saturday, December 5, in Costa Teguise. The organiser publishes the race programme, distances, start times and entry links on the event’s official website. That site is also where the rules on bib collection, age limits and cut-off times live.

A marathon has no tickets in the concert sense. You register for a distance, and spectating along the roadside is free and open. Entry fees and category details are posted on the official site, and this guide does not repeat figures that change from year to year.

International runners usually register online from home. Then they collect their bib and race pack in Costa Teguise in the day or two before the start.

Getting to Costa Teguise

The island’s airport is César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport (ACE), just outside Arrecife. Costa Teguise is a short drive northeast along the coast. Three ways in:

• Taxi: there is a rank outside arrivals, and the ride to Costa Teguise is one of the shorter ones from the airport.
• Bus: island buses link the airport, Arrecife and Costa Teguise, with a change in Arrecife on some routes.
• Hire car: rental desks are in the terminal. On race morning, roads near the course in Costa Teguise are affected, so drivers usually park away from the seafront and walk in.

Lanzarote has direct flights from much of Europe in winter, because December is high season for winter sun. Ferries also connect Lanzarote with Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria.

Running into the trade winds

What shapes this race is the setting. Lanzarote is flat in places and low, with little tree cover, and the northeast trade winds blow across it for much of the year. On a coastal course, a stretch with the wind at your back is usually followed by a stretch straight into it.

December is one of the milder months to run here. Daytime temperatures in the Canaries usually sit in the low twenties Celsius. That is comfortable for spectators and warm for a marathon once the sun is high. The light is strong even in winter, and there is very little shade along an open seafront.

Runners who know the island tend to pace by effort rather than by watch on the windy sections. They also treat sunscreen and a cap as part of their race kit, not extras. Lanzarote’s reputation for hard races is real: the island also hosts Ironman Lanzarote, one of the toughest races on that circuit, largely because of the wind.

Race-day manners at the roadside

Lanzarote’s race crowd is a mix of islanders, Spanish visitors and runners from across Europe. A few habits help runners and spectators alike fit in.

• Cheering: Spanish spectators shout “¡Ánimo!” (keep going) or “¡Vamos!” (come on). Calling a runner’s name from their bib gets a reaction every time.
• Crossing the course: volunteers and local police manage the crossings. Spectators wait for a gap and cross where marshals indicate, not between runners.
• Paying: cards and phone payments work in most Costa Teguise bars and shops. A few small cafés and kiosks prefer cash for small amounts.
• Tipping: it is modest in Spain. Locals round up or leave small change after a coffee or drinks, and add a little more after a sit-down meal.
• Eating times: lunch runs late by northern European standards, usually from about 1:30pm, and dinner rarely starts before 8:30pm. Restaurants in the resort cater to earlier eaters, but family places in Arrecife keep Spanish hours.

The Sunday after: Teguise market and a long weekend

The race falls on a Saturday, and that works out well for the day after. Every Sunday morning the old town of Teguise, the island’s former capital, holds the biggest street market on Lanzarote. Stalls fill the cobbled lanes and squares around the church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, and buses run up from Costa Teguise and the other resorts.

Sunday, December 6, is also Spain’s Constitution Day, a national holiday. December 8, the Immaculate Conception, follows two days later. Spaniards call this stretch “el puente” (the bridge), and many mainland visitors use it for a short island break. The race weekend is therefore a busy travel weekend generally.

Legs that can manage a gentle outing have plenty nearby:

• Jardín de Cactus, Manrique’s cactus garden in a former quarry near Guatiza, north of Costa Teguise.
• Jameos del Agua, his concert hall and lagoon set in a lava tube on the north coast.
• Timanfaya National Park, the island’s field of volcanoes to the southwest, seen by coach tour from the visitor point.
• Arrecife’s Charco de San Ginés, a tidal lagoon lined with fishing boats and bars, a short hop from Costa Teguise.

Where runners usually stay

Most participants stay in Costa Teguise itself. It is a resort of apartments, hotels and self-catering complexes built around the beaches: Playa de las Cucharas, Playa Bastián and Playa del Jablillo. Staying in walking distance of the seafront takes the stress out of race morning, when traffic is restricted.

Arrecife is the alternative for anyone who prefers a working town with Spanish restaurants and a waterfront. It is close enough for a quick taxi ride. Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca are further south and suit people who treat the race as one part of a longer beach holiday.

Because December is peak season, the resort is lively in the evenings either way. Its bars and restaurants stay open late around the Pueblo Marinero square and along the beach promenades.