Your plan in four answers
Set for November 28, 2026, about 5 weeks out.
- Distances
- 110K, Marathon
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Taper starts
- November 10, 2026
Course
The Del Mar a la Cima course
Every race starts and finishes at the Santuario-Hotel Playa Bonita on the Buritaca beaches, about 49 km from the city of Santa Marta, and climbs from the Caribbean into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest coastal mountain range on the planet. The 110 km starts on Saturday at 07:00 and follows the trails toward Teyuna, the Lost City of the Tayrona, with 5,915 m of climbing, a high point of 744 m, seven cut-offs, drop bags at El Mamey (km 38.7) and Campamento Puente (km 73) and a 32-hour limit.
Read the full course notes
The 80 km (81.2 km measured) shares the Saturday start with 4,542 m of climbing and a 25-hour limit. The marathon (42.4 km) starts on Sunday at 03:00 for a night start, climbs 2,363 m with a high point of 604 m, crosses several rivers, passes through small villages and, on a clear day, offers a view of Colombia's highest snow peaks; it has a 12-hour limit with cut-offs at Alto de la Aguacatera (km 19.2, 5 h 30 min) and Linderos (km 38.7, 11 h). Terrain is about 90% technical, with beach sand, forest and river crossings, and there are also 24 km and 13 km races on Sunday.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 110K, Marathon
- Weather on race day
- Late November on the Santa Marta coast is usually hot and humid, with nights around 24 °C, daytime highs above 30 °C and humidity near 80%, and rain on only a handful of days. Expect steamy forest on the climbs and strong sun on the beach sections, so carry more fluid and electrolytes than you think you need and start conservatively.
What to train for
With 2,363 m of climbing in the marathon and 5,915 m in the 110 km, vertical is the priority: build weekly hill sessions of 600–1,200 m of climbing, mixing steady power hiking with running the gentler grades, and practise technical descents on rough trail.
Do long back-to-back weekends on trails to prepare for 8 to 30 hours on your feet, and rehearse night running with your headlamp, since the marathon starts at 03:00 and the ultras run through the night.
Train in heat and humidity where you can, run some sessions in wet shoes to get used to river crossings, and practise eating and drinking on the move with the 1–2 litre hydration system the rules require.
Sample week
A sample Del Mar a la Cima training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 10 × 2 min up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 13 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 29–32 km on trail, with as much climbing as you can find
- Sunday Key session
- Second long day, 16–19 km easy on tired legs
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Del Mar a la Cima
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on November 28, 2026, your taper starts around November 10, 2026.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Del Mar a la Cima (Marathon) on November 28, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Del Mar a la Cima training questions
How long should I train for the Del Mar a la Cima?
Most runners give a 110k twenty to twenty-four weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Del Mar a la Cima course hilly?
Hilly. Every race starts and finishes at the Santuario-Hotel Playa Bonita on the Buritaca beaches, about 49 km from the city of Santa Marta, and climbs from the Caribbean into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest coastal mountain range on the planet.
What is the weather usually like at the Del Mar a la Cima?
Late November on the Santa Marta coast is usually hot and humid, with nights around 24 °C, daytime highs above 30 °C and humidity near 80%, and rain on only a handful of days. Expect steamy forest on the climbs and strong sun on the beach sections, so carry more fluid and electrolytes than you think you need and start conservatively.
When should I start tapering for the Del Mar a la Cima?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on November 28, 2026, your taper starts around November 10, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Del Mar a la Cima training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.