Thinking of signing up to the next edition of the Malaga Half Marathon? I ran it in 2021 and 2022, here’s everything you need to know and my experience.

Note: Up until last year it was the Zurich Marathon/Half. It has now changed organisation and has become the Generali Marathon of Malaga.

There is another half-marathon taking place in Malaga in November, called Media Maratón ciudad de Málaga with a different route and organisation. I did it in 2022, check out my race review here!

If you’re wondering which Malaga Half Marathon you should do, check out how they compare in this blog post.

Generali Malaga half-marathon: key information

This race takes place every December with both the half-marathon and marathon happening at the same time. The runners line up in the city centre, in Paseo del Parque in front of Malaga City Hall.

In 2022 the race started at 8:30 and there was a cut-off time of 2:45 hours for the half-marathon and 6 hours for the marathon.

The finish line of the half marathon is on Avenida Cánovas del Castillo, not far from the starting point.

I paid 28 Euros for my race entry. If you’re an affiliated runner, it’s only 25 Euros.

Although I personally didn’t use the bag drop, there is one near the start line where you can leave your personal belongings.

Can you get a PB at this race?

This course isn’t as flat as the Total Energies Half Marathon but you can definitely get a fast time. I got a new PB both in 2021 and 2022. There’s about 60m of total elevation gain which is really manageable and it’s not annoyingly undulating, giving you the best shot at a PB.

I finished in 1:39:14 (chip time) in 2021 which was a PB at the time, and I finished in 1:33:53 in 2022, another PB!

Here is the map of the course with elevation for each K. You can check all the segments and other details on my Strava.

Where to pick up your race number for the half-marathon or marathon

In 2021 the Expo was located at José María Martín Carpena Sports Palace. It’s not in the city centre and it takes about 45 minutes to get there via public transport or 15 minutes via taxi/Uber.

Thankfully in 2022 the Expo moved closer to the city centre, it was held in one of the cruise terminals by the Port of Malaga. You can collect your race number and Tshirt on the Friday or Saturday.

Bibs are not shipped and cannot be collected on race day so ensure to arrive to Malaga early enough!

Generali Half marathon of Malaga: my race experience

The organisation

I love planning ahead, and I was starting to worry when no details had been announced early December. But one week before the race, I received my Runner’s guide via email with all the details: the course map, info about bib collection, hydration stations. Oh, and everything was translated in English!

The atmosphere

Absolutely amazing, with supporters and volunteers along the whole course. It was never quiet for too long, which really helps stay in good spirits when you’re racing!

There were also a few bands playing music and dancing, which also provides you with some distraction when it gets tough.

Even in 2022 where unfortunately we had terrible rain on race day, spectators were still out there cheering us on!

What I loved

Malaga is a beautiful city and it was amazing to be able to run in the city centre then along the beach, surrounded by palmtrees. It’s a great race if you have friends and family supporting you / giving you fuel as they’ll be able to see you several times during your run.

Finally, I was for once really please with my official race photos! There were many photographers on race day and the photos were reasonably priced so I bought the full pack: 15 photos for 23 Euros.

If you find these race reviews helpful, a coffee would be very much appreciated :) And if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch via the contact form.

Any negatives?

Compared to the Total Energies Half Marathon, the goody bag isn’t great. You just get your Tshirt, a bus ticket and a couple flyers.

It would have been better to have Aquarius available earlier on the course. There were water stations every 5-6k which was great, however the first refuel station with fruit and Aquarius (the Spanish Lucozade) was just after 15k. Something to keep in mind if you like to have electrolytes/sugar before the 15k mark on a half-marathon.

I learnt in 2022 that the weather can be really unpredictable even in South of Spain. The conditions in 2021 were perfect: sunny, not too cold, just a slight breeze.

But in 2022 it was quite horrendous, we had to battle heavy rain and wind for most of the race. I felt very sorry for those who were doing the full marathon.

Both editions were very well organised, I had an awesome experience and despite the horrendous rain in 2022, and I would do this race again!

Wondering which Malaga half marathon you should do? Check out this comparison post here.

Staying in Malaga for a little while?

PS: If you’re staying for longer than just the race weekend, I would recommend looking into booking a guided tour to make the most of your stay in Malaga!

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