Desafío Calar del Río Mundo 2027: dates, championship and routes

Plan your race pace

The Desafío Calar del Río Mundo 2027 has one confirmed event on 24 and 25 April: Spain’s infant and cadet mountain running championships, listed on the FEDME calendar. The race takes place in Riópar, in the province of Albacete, and will hold its 14th edition.

Club Sierra Sport has yet to announce the adult programme, distances or registration details for 2027. The youth championship dates do not confirm that the adult races will take place on the same weekend. The 2026 routes offer an idea of the event, but they are not the official courses for the new edition.

What is confirmed for 2027

The Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing calendar lists the Spanish Infant and Cadet Championships at the Desafío on 24 and 25 April 2027. A two-day event does not in itself establish a start time or the specific race day for each age group.

The event is based in Riópar, in the Sierra de Alcaraz. The detailed programme, youth courses and participation conditions are still to be announced. For families planning a trip, the schedule for each day will be especially important: a booking for just one day might not match the eventual timetable for the relevant age group.

The setting also places the race in a mountainous area associated with the Mundo River. That does not mean every distance will necessarily pass through the same places: the exact route for each event should appear in the edition’s programme.

Registration and race bibs: what remains to be announced

The organiser has not yet published prices, an opening date, entry limits or a registration process for 2027. The conditions for the adult races are also unknown. The federation calendar confirms the youth championship, but it does not replace the race rules or registration process for each event.

Before paying for an entry, runners should check the conditions that apply if an injury or a change of plans prevents them from taking part. Refunds, bib transfers and switches to another distance should not be assumed: they depend on the rules for that edition. For infant and cadet categories, the published age and participation requirements will also need to be checked.

Race information is published on the Desafío Calar del Río Mundo website. The programme should set out, among other details, where and when bibs can be collected and what documentation is required.

The 2026 routes as a guide

The 13th edition took place from 10 to 12 April 2026 and included several distances. With no course announced for 2027, these events give an idea of the previous programme without establishing that they will return.

• Ultra: approximately 68 to 70 kilometres, with 4,400 to 4,458 metres of elevation gain.
• Marathon: 45 kilometres.
• Half: 25 kilometres.
• Sprint: 15 kilometres.

The 2026 ultra figures are given as ranges because its distance and elevation gain have been reported approximately. Elevation gain is the sum of the climbs along the route; it is not the difference in altitude between the start and finish.

In mountain running, distance alone provides an incomplete picture of the challenge. Accumulated climbing, terrain and descents can make two races of similar length require different amounts of time and preparation. The new edition’s course profile and cut-off times will therefore be as important as its kilometre count.

The 2026 ultra and its schedule

The long race in 2026 hosted the FEDME Spanish Individual and Regional Team Ultra Championships. It started at 05:00 on Saturday, 11 April, with a 15-hour time limit. More than 250 runners and 17 regional teams took part in the ultra championship.

The 25-kilometre half race started at 09:00 on Sunday, 12 April, from Plaza Luis Escudero. These details apply solely to the previous edition: they do not establish the start point or time of any 2027 race.

The organiser had anticipated up to 1,700 runners across the 2026 event. That figure gives an idea of the scale of that edition, but it is not an entry limit announced for the next one. Likewise, holding the ultra championship in Riópar does not confirm that it will return there in 2027.

Highlights from the previous results

In the men’s regional team classification for the 2026 ultra, Catalonia won as its three runners took the top three places. The Valencian Community finished second and Aragon third.

In the women’s team competition, Euskal Selekzioa won. Alba Villanova, representing the Valencian Community, finished second in the women’s ultra. Juan Pedro Molina and Patricia Rodríguez won the 45-kilometre races; Manuel López Salcedo and Alba Barambio won over 25 kilometres.

These are results from the 13th edition, not a list of 2027 participants. Team line-ups and the next championship’s results will become known as the new event progresses.

Travelling to Riópar and preparing for the race

For runners travelling from the Valencian Community or elsewhere in Spain, planning depends on more than the competition date. Bib collection may determine when they need to arrive, while the start time will affect whether an overnight stay near Riópar is necessary. Neither detail has been announced for 2027.

When comparing accommodation, it is worth considering not only the price but also the distance to the eventual start location and whether the booking can be changed. Plaza Luis Escudero was the starting point for the 25-kilometre race in 2026, but it would be premature to treat it as the definitive location for the entire next edition.

The mandatory equipment for each race is also yet to be published. In a mountain race, that list can affect the space needed in a running pack and the choice of gear; the rules should specify both the required items and the consequences of not carrying them. Aid stations and cut-off points will complete the information needed to plan how self-sufficient runners must be between sections.

An event looking towards international competition

The infant and cadet championship adds a youth-development dimension to an event that hosted a national ultra competition in 2026. Club Sierra Sport also aims to organise a World Cup race, an ambition that does not mean the Desafío has already been awarded an international event.

The developing programme will show the place of each race format in this 14th edition. For now, the federation dates for the youth categories are the basis for planning; adult runners will have to wait for their own event details to be announced.