Running in San Sebastián in autumn 2026: Behobia-San Sebastián, Salto 15K and Zurich Marathon (and where to leave your bag)

In San Sebastián, autumn is peak running season. Between October and November the city strings together four of the biggest road races in northern Spain, with thousands of runners arriving from elsewhere every weekend. One of them stands above the rest: the Behobia-San Sebastián, which holds its 61st edition on Sunday 8 November this year.

If you're coming to run one of them, this guide sums up the dates, bib pickup and logistics. Including the part almost nobody plans: what to do with your suitcase on race day.

The autumn 2026 race calendar

• San Sebastián Half Marathon Rural Kutxa (21K): Sunday 4 October. Already held.
• Salto 15K Donostia San Sebastián (La Clásica): Sunday 25 October.
• Behobia-San Sebastián (20K): Sunday 8 November.
• Zurich Marathon Donostia San Sebastián (42K and 10K): Sunday 22 November.

Behobia-San Sebastián: the race of the year

The Behobia-San Sebastián is the big running event in Gipuzkoa. It's a 20 km point-to-point race, starting in Behobia (Irun) and finishing in the centre of San Sebastián. The organisers describe it as a race with more than 100 years of history, and San Sebastián Tourism puts participation at around 25,000 runners a year, with thousands of people cheering along the whole route. The finish, right in the city centre, is one of the most spectacular on the calendar.

The essentials for 2026:

• Date: Sunday 8 November 2026 (61st edition).
• Entries: sold out. The organisers handle the waiting list and bib transfers on their own platform, and they flag one important point: never pay for a bib transfer outside the official platform.
• More races the same weekend: B/SS Txiki for kids, B/SS Patines (skates) and the race for people with disabilities.

Because it's a point-to-point race, logistics matter more than on a loop course. You need to get to the start in Irun in the morning and run back to San Sebastián. Many visiting runners spend the whole weekend here: they arrive on Saturday, race on Sunday and leave that same afternoon.

Photo: Iñaki Lopez de Luzuriaga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Salto 15K: La Clásica, 25 October

The Salto 15K Donostia San Sebastián reaches its 29th edition on Sunday 25 October. It's one of the most beautiful urban courses in the city: completely flat, at sea level and closed to traffic, passing La Concha promenade, the City Hall, the Boulevard and Zurriola beach. According to San Sebastián Tourism, more than 5,000 runners sign up every year.

• Distances and categories: 15K and 5K (5K starts at 9:30), plus rollers (9:45) and wheelchairs and handbikes (9:55).
• Start and finish: start on Avenida de Madrid, finish on Paseo de Anoeta.
• Bibs: at the Welcome Point in the Decathlon at the Belartza business park, on 23 and 24 October.
• Bonus: the organisers offer a Renfe discount for runners travelling by train.

Photo: Joxemai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Zurich Marathon: the finale on 22 November

The Zurich Marathon Donostia San Sebastián closes the autumn with its 47th edition on Sunday 22 November. It's the second-oldest marathon in Spain, with a flat, urban course at sea level that's popular for personal bests.

• 42K: all 7,000 bibs are sold out.
• 10K: run on the same day, and still a good option if you're not up for the full distance.
• Expo Sports: Friday 20 November.
• Bibs: at the Kursaal, on Friday afternoon and Saturday. No bibs are handed out on Sunday.

Photo: decorrer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Half Marathon: already held, save the date for 2027

The San Sebastián Half Marathon Rural Kutxa was run on 4 October with a record 5,200 entrants, starting and finishing on the Boulevard. If you missed it, the 2027 edition is on 3 October and entries are already open. Don't wait too long: in 2026 bibs sold out months before race day.

The race-weekend problem: your suitcase

The pattern is the same for all these races. You arrive on Friday or Saturday, pick up your bib, sleep in the city and race on Sunday morning. Afterwards you want a shower, something to eat and your train or car home. And in the middle there's the hotel: check-out is usually before you finish the race, and Saturday's check-in doesn't always come early enough.

The races have their own bag drop for the runner's bag during the event, and it's very handy. But it's designed for exactly that: the backpack with your post-race clothes, only during race morning. Your travel suitcase is a different story. You need somewhere to leave it from the moment you check out until you leave the city.

That's where a luggage store in the centre comes in. Check out, drop the suitcase, run, pick it up whenever suits you and head home. No reception hours to worry about, and no dragging a trolley through the city on its busiest day of the year.

DSS Lockers: in the centre of San Sebastián, 24/7

DSS Lockers is at Calle San Martín 46, in the Centro district, between La Concha beach and the Old Town. Approximate walking times from the door:

• La Concha beach: 5 minutes
• Kursaal (marathon bib pickup): 8 minutes
• Bus station: 9 minutes
• Estación del Norte (Renfe): 10 minutes
• Boulevard and Old Town: 12 minutes

It runs unstaffed, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:

1. Book on your phone: choose size and hours.
2. Enter the shop with your PIN code, the number you receive with your booking.
3. Scan your QR at the kiosk and your locker opens automatically.
4. Come back whenever you like within your booked time, with the same code.

There are three sizes: S for bags and small backpacks, M for a cabin suitcase or day pack, and XL for a large trolley or two cabin cases. The lockers are climate-controlled, which helps if you're storing damp clothes after a run in the November rain.

Tips for your race weekend

• Book your locker early. On Behobia and Marathon weekends the city fills up, and so do the luggage stores.
• Book your accommodation early too. If San Sebastián is full, Irun, Hondarribia and Zarautz are well connected by train and bus.
• Pick up your bib on time. For the Marathon, no bibs are handed out on Sunday.
• Be ready for rain. Autumn here is cool and damp: bring layers, a light rain jacket and dry clothes for afterwards.
• Plan your trip home. After the race, central streets stay closed for a while and public transport is busy. Leave some margin before your train or bus.

Run light

Running in San Sebastián means running on one of the most beautiful stages on the calendar: La Concha, Zurriola, the Boulevard and thousands of people cheering. Enjoy it without thinking about your suitcase.

Photo: Luistxo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Book my locker at DSS Lockers →

Zorte on, eta ondo korri!

Sources

• Cover photo: Iñaki Lopez de Luzuriaga, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
• Race calendar and descriptions: San Sebastián Tourism, Running.
• Behobia-San Sebastián, official site: behobia-sansebastian.com.
• Salto 15K Donostia San Sebastián: 15ksansebastian.com.
• Zurich Marathon Donostia San Sebastián: zurichmaratonsansebastian.com.
• San Sebastián Half Marathon Rural Kutxa: mediomaratonsansebastianruralkutxa.com.

Information checked on 13 October 2026.