Record number of participants in the 46th edition of the Zurich International Marathon of Donostia-San Sebastián with 10,500 registered participants 

● It will be held on Sunday 24 November with an increase of 3,000 runners compared to the previous edition.
● A total of 63 nationalities will be represented in a race with 29% female participation and 44% foreign athletes.
On Saturday 23rd November at 10:00h the Expo Sports will open its doors at the Kursaal Conference Centre.

The second oldest marathon in Spain, the Zurich International Marathon of Donostia – San Sebastián, reaches its 46th edition in 2024. And it does so in top form, with an all-time record number of participants and sold out three weeks ahead of schedule. In total, 10,500 registered participants, 3,000 more than in the last edition, distributed as follows: 6,000 in the 42K; 1,000 in the 21K, and 3,500 in the 10K.

The race has been presented this morning at the Donostia City Hall in a ceremony presided over by the mayor of the city, Eneko Goia, with the presence of authorities, organisers, sponsors, among them Carlos Chapa from Zurich, main sponsor of the event, and illustrious figures of Gipuzkoa athletics such as Ramón Cid, Iraitz Arrospide, or the recent champion of the Behobia-San Sebastián, Chakib Lachgar. Also in attendance was the athlete, mother of a large family and influencer, Estefi Uzu ‘Verdeliss’. During the event, a heartfelt tribute was paid to the athlete, judge and statesman, Juanjo Ozkariz, who passed away last July.

The Zurich Maratón San Sebastián 2024 will have a 29% female participation among its three distances.  There will be athletes from 63 different countries, with Spain (6,336 runners), France (2,157) and the UK (1,007) being the most represented countries. 44% of the runners will come from outside Spain, and the rest will come from different provinces of Spain. Another important fact is that the San Sebastián Marathon is getting younger, and the age group with the highest participation will be between 25 and 34 years old, with 3,749 athletes.

One of the fastest marathons in the country
One of the novelties of this edition is that the Zurich Maratón Internacional de San Sebastián will not have an international elite. This decision makes the San Sebastián Marathon the only one of the Big 5 that will be made up only of popular athletes. It will therefore be a more open and exciting race, but just as fast. In the last edition, the average time of the runners was 3:34:45, which makes San Sebastián one of the fastest marathons in Spain. Other data proving that San Sebastián is fast is that 79% of the participants reached the finish line in less than 4 hours, and 18% did so in less than 3 hours. The changes introduced in the circuit for the 2022 edition have made the San Sebastián circuit faster and flatter, which has allowed more than 65% of the participants to improve their personal best. As in previous editions, there will be 8 groups of runners who will set 8 different paces between 2:45h and 5 hours.

The San Sebastián International Marathon will also be the Gipuzkoa Marathon Championship and the Basque Country Marathon Championship, both in the individual men’s and women’s categories, as well as in the team category.
The start of the 10K will take place at 8:15h from Hernani Street, next to the Town Hall, while the Marathon and Half Marathon will start from the same place at 9:00h.  Due to the high participation, and for the first time in the history of the Donostia Marathon, there will be two starts, at 9:00h and at 9:05h. The route, approved by the RFEA, will run through the neighbourhoods of Amara, Anoeta, Antiguo, Centro and Gros. The finish line will be located on the Boulevard, the scene of major sporting events such as the Tour de France, the Tour of Spain and the Behobia-San Sebastian.

Runner’s Expo
The Kursaal Conference Centre will once again be the nerve centre of the race on the day before the Zurich Donostia-San Sebastian Marathon. The Runner’s Expo (Expo Sports) will have numerous stands dedicated to the world of sport. On this occasion, the following brands will be present: Zurich Seguros, Finisher, Zurich Marató Barcelona and eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks, Pimiento Negro, Sports Different, Styrpe, El Pozo. Participants will be able to pick up their race bibs and commemorative T-shirts at the same venue throughout Saturday 23 November between 10am and 8pm, without interruption.

Zurich Seguros, main sponsor for another year
Zurich Seguros celebrates 10 consecutive years as the main sponsor of the Donostia-San Sebastián Marathon, which this year will once again be part of the Big 5 circuit. In fact, a total of 75 national athletes will have the opportunity to complete their 5 Spanish Marathons in San Sebastián. On the other hand, the Z Zurich Foundation will donate 1 euro for each finisher to the Spanish Federation of Food Banks.

On the other hand, the Zurich AEFAT team, which works to raise awareness of the disease ataxia telangiectasia, will hold its 30th marathon in San Sebastián. This team, created in 2017, is made up of children and young people with this degenerative disease, for which there is still no cure or treatment, and volunteer runners who push their special chairs. It is also worth mentioning the solidarity challenge ‘12 months 12 marathons’ that the athlete from Vitoria Raúl Perez is carrying out to raise awareness of the ALS disease. The Donostia marathon will be the penultimate marathon in his challenge.