Maratón Internacional Ciudad de Logroño

The Maratón Internacional Ciudad de Logroño is the marquee running event of La Rioja, Spain's smallest but proudest wine region. Now approaching its twelfth edition, held on the first Sunday of October, the race has grown from a modest local outing into a capped 2,500-runner event that regularly sells out, drawing entrants from more than 20 countries. Marathon, half marathon and 10K runners all start and finish at Paseo del Espolón in the heart of the city, with the marathon completing two full laps of the half marathon's loop and the 10K covering half of it. The course threads through Logroño's main neighborhoods and along the banks of the Río Ebro, staying almost entirely flat with only a few gentle inclines, a layout built for personal bests as much as for sightseeing. The event's signature quirk is its partnership with local renewable-energy company SAPJE Renovables, which refunds the entry fee of the first 500 marathon finishers each year, a promotion organizers bill as the only marathon in the world you can run for free. Music, local Rioja food and wine, and a lively neighborhood-by-neighborhood atmosphere run alongside the course, and finishers collect a medal back at Paseo de El Espolón.