Maratón Internacional Guelaguetza
The Lowdown
The Maratón Internacional Guelaguetza is Oaxaca de Juárez's marquee running event, held each July as part of the Guelaguetza festival's Lunes del Cerro celebrations. Organized by the Instituto del Deporte del Estado de Oaxaca (Indeporte), the race starts before dawn at the Auditorio Guelaguetza on Federal Highway 190 and offers marathon, half marathon, and 10K distances, plus adapted categories for wheelchair users and athletes with disabilities. The marathon route heads out along Highway 190 toward Tlacolula de Matamoros and San Francisco Lachigoló before turning back to finish near Cerro del Fortín, the hillside amphitheater where Oaxaca's traditional Guelaguetza dance festival takes place. The 2026 edition drew more than 24,000 runners from across Mexico and 16 countries and marked the first time organizers added a full 42.195-kilometer marathon alongside the long-running half marathon and 10K. Registration has been free in past editions, with the first 10,000 registrants receiving an official shirt and all finishers receiving a medal. The race distributes a prize purse of more than 1 million pesos and closes streets around Cerro del Fortín for much of race morning.
Race Day
Weather Forecast
Elevation
Terrain Profile
Relatively flat course
Participants
Field Size
Major marathon
Crowd Rating
Spectator Support
Legendary crowd support
Auditorio Guelaguetza (start/finish)
Cerro del Fortín
Federal Highway 190
Monumento a la Madre
Tlacolula de Matamoros
San Francisco Lachigoló
Centro Histórico de Oaxaca
Other distances available during the event weekend:
Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico
MX
Average rate for 3-star accommodations near the start line
Eligibility
- Open categories plus adapted divisions for wheelchair users and athletes with disabilities on the shorter distances
Required Documents
- Government-issued photo ID for race-kit pickup
Entry Methods
- Free online registration through Indeporte Oaxaca's official channels (site/social media)
- Registration has opened roughly April through mid-July in past editions
Cancellation & Refund Policy
No public refund/deferral policy published; the state-run event has offered free registration with no purchase to refund
Registration for the 2026 edition was free of charge, with the first 10,000 registrants receiving an official event shirt and all finishers receiving a medal.
The 2026 edition awarded a prize purse of more than 1,000,000 Mexican pesos across categories.
The full marathon distance was added for the first time in 2026; the event previously ran as a half marathon and 10K tied to the Lunes del Cerro celebrations (e.g., the 2025 edition).
Race weekend closes roads around Cerro del Fortín from Saturday evening through early Sunday afternoon.
Community
Stories, tips, and race-day snapshots from runners who have tackled this course.
Community Reviews
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