Behobia 2026: fourteen weeks to reach the Boulevard

On Sunday 8 November, twenty kilometres will separate Behobia from San Sebastián's Boulevard, and along the way thousands of people will be convinced that this time they really will pace it properly. From today, there are fourteen weeks left. Not many, not few: exactly enough.

What you are up against

The Behobia is not a flat race with sea views, whatever the photographs suggest. The Gaintxurizketa climb arrives in the first half, the long ascent that decides what sort of day you are going to have, and then, with more than fifteen kilometres already in your legs, come Capuchinos and the dreaded Miracruz, which is where the race turns properly serious.

And there is one detail almost nobody trains for: the descents. There is a great deal of downhill in the Behobia, and running it fast on unprepared quadriceps is the single most efficient way to reach the finish on wooden legs. We say this from other people's experience, obviously.

Block 1, weeks 1 to 4: base and shade

August in Spain has its own rules: you go out early or you do not go out. Three or four easy runs a week, the sort where you could tell someone your life story, plus a long run creeping up from 8 to 12 kilometres. No target paces, no intervals, no heroics. This block only asks that your body learns to tolerate the volume that is coming.

Block 2, weeks 5 to 8: the hills

September brings a dedicated hill session: 6 to 8 climbs of 45 to 60 seconds at a hard effort, jogging back down very gently to recover. Look for a hill that resembles Gaintxurizketa — long and steady — rather than a wall. The long run rises to 14 or 16 kilometres and every other day stays easy, however dull that sounds.

Two strength sessions you will not miss

This is where Miracruz is won and where the descents are survived. Squats, lunges, deadlifts or box step-ups, twice a week, heavy enough that the last reps cost you something. We have already told you that running more is not enough when what you lack is strength: on a course like this one, that difference shows up in exactly the final three kilometres.

Block 3, weeks 9 to 12: pace and descents

October is the key month. The long run reaches its ceiling, between 16 and 18 kilometres, and a pace session appears: two blocks of 15 to 20 minutes at the speed you think you can hold on 8 November, with five minutes of jogging in between. And on at least two days, include a long descent run at a comfortable pace but without braking: your quads need those rehearsals so they do not complain on race day.

Block 4, weeks 13 and 14: the taper

The last proper long run happens about twelve days out. From there volume drops by 30 to 40 %, but intensity does not vanish altogether: a few short pace changes keep the legs awake. The golden rule for these two weeks is boring and it works: nothing new. Not the shoes, not the gels, not the technical shirt somebody gave you on Thursday.

If you have no race number

General entries closed in the spring and places now only move through the waiting list, so this plan is mainly for those who already have theirs. If you missed out, there is an equally valid version: follow the plan anyway, find yourself twenty kilometres somewhere on that same Sunday and put next year's date in the diary. Nobody is going to ask for a race number before letting you enjoy autumn on the run.