Málaga Marathon 2026: tracking, the Misericordia seafront and where to cheer

The Generali Maratón Málaga is on Sunday 8 November 2026. It starts at 8:30 on the Paseo del Parque, in front of the University of Málaga's Rectorate (official regulations). The course is flat and stays close to the sea: out onto the port, east along the coast to El Palo, north to the La Rosaleda stadium, then a long out-and-back on the Misericordia seafront and a finish where it started. If you have a runner in it, this guide shows you how to see where they are during the race and how to get a message into their ears on the seafront, where most of them start to suffer.

Independence notice: Cheerlify is an independent service. It is not affiliated with the Generali Maratón Málaga organisers or sponsors, and it is not the event's official application.

The race at a glance

The marathon and the half marathon start together at 8:30. The official pages still don't quite agree on the expo: the regulations say its location will be "announced soon", the FAQ names FYCMA, and the expo page calls it the Palacio de Congresos de Málaga. Same building, most likely, but look at the official site again in race week.

Mind the clocks: Málaga is on Central European Time (UTC+1) on race day. If you're following from the UK, Ireland or Portugal, the 8:30 start is 7:30 for you.

1. Official tracking: the race app

Each bib has a disposable chip built in (regulations). The official Generali Maratón Málaga app (free, App Store and Google Play) has runner tracking and live results: you follow a runner and get a notification whenever they cross a timing mat. Last year's results went up on Sportmaniacs.

Set it up before Sunday. Install the app, find your runner by name or bib number and follow them, so the first notification arrives with the gun and not ten minutes later while you're still searching.

The chip times are the official record, and they're what ends up as the splits and the finish time. The catch is the gaps. The regulations set a time check every 5 km, and the 2026 list of timing points hasn't been published. At marathon pace 5 km takes 25 to 35 minutes, and in that time the app shows you only the last mat they crossed. It can't tell you when they'll reach the corner you're standing on. We wrote up the difference here: chip timing vs GPS tracking.

2. Live GPS on the map, between the readings

For a dot that actually moves, the runner's own phone has to share its GPS: Strava Beacon, Garmin LiveTrack, plain location sharing or Cheerlify (marathon tracking apps compared). Cheerlify puts the dot on the course, so you see which kilometre they're on and how long until they reach any point you choose. In Málaga that answers the practical questions: can you still walk from Pedregalejo back to the Paseo del Parque in time, and when do you need to be on the seafront for their way back in.

Tip: keep the official app for the exact splits and the GPS map for knowing when to step up to the barrier.

The course, stage by stage

The 2026 course map isn't out yet. The official course page still shows the 2025 map, with a note that it may change during the certification process. The kilometres below come from that 2025 map and our catalog course, which follows it, so treat them as approximate:

According to the organisers, the new course is faster and flatter and has fewer bends, and both races set course records on it in 2025. So the hills won't hurt anyone. The seafront after km 30 might: a wide, straight promenade with the sea on one side and no shade, and the whole way out the faster runners are coming back towards yours, which is a constant reminder of how far the turn still is. A voice in the ear helps there more than anywhere else on the course.

Where to watch

The start and finish are in the centre, and the course keeps coming back to it. Some spots we'd pick:

• The Paseo del Parque and the Alameda: the start, then passes close by at about km 1–3, km 6 and km 22, and the finish. If you stay around here you can see your runner several times without much walking, and the arrival estimate tells you when to move.
• Pedregalejo (about km 12, and again at about km 19). The course goes out on one road and comes back on the parallel one a block inland, so a single spot gets you two passes. It's the old fishermen's quarter, with plenty of cafés for the wait in between.
• La Malagueta (about km 10 and km 21), at the beach end of the centre and a short walk from the Paseo del Parque.
• The Misericordia seafront (km 30–39). Out and back on the same promenade, so you see them at about km 31 and again at about km 37. The crowd here is much thinner than in the centre, so your runner will notice you.
• The finish on the Paseo del Parque. The organisers don't publish a meeting point, so agree on one a couple of streets from the finish area before the start.

Roads in the centre and along the seafront will be closed for the morning, and walking is the easiest way between the central spots. If you're following from home, you get the same moving dot and can send the same cheers as someone standing on the promenade.

Weather

Early November in Málaga is usually mild, though the 2025 edition started on wet roads after rain (Flashscore). The gun goes shortly after sunrise, when it's still cool by the sea. Most runners reach the seafront in late morning, and on a sunny day there's no shade out there at all. Check the forecast on Saturday, and bring an extra layer if you'll be standing still for hours.

Be in their ears on the Misericordia seafront

From about km 30 the race heads out along the sea to the Martín Carpena arena and back. The promenade is long and straight, the faster runners are already on their way back on the other side, and the city at the far end never seems to get closer.

With Cheerlify you can send a voice or video message while they're running, and it plays in their earbuds straight away. You can also record one ahead and choose the kilometre where it plays. Their music dips while your voice plays, then comes back. Where we'd put them:

• km 31, at the start of the seafront: "Long and flat from here. Find your rhythm and stay in it."
• km 37, on the way back in: "The turn is behind you. Every step now is towards the finish."
• km 41, at the edge of the old town: something only you can say to them.

The 2026 regulations say nothing about headphones. One earbud or open-ear headphones are enough to hear a cheer clearly and still hear the runners and marshals around them.

For the runner: in the Cheerlify app, pick Generali Málaga Marathon from the race catalog. The official course is already loaded, so you don't need a GPX file. Share the link and the code with your supporters. Running the half? Pick Generali Media Maratón Málaga instead: it has its own course, so the map, the kilometres and the arrival times follow the 21.1 km.

Supporters don't need an app or an account, just the link and the code in a browser. A group can split it up: one person sends something live when the dot slows down, another sets a message for km 37. If you're stuck for words, we collected 30+ cheering lines for every stage of a race.

Race-week checklist for supporters

1. Your runner's bib number saved, the official Generali Maratón Málaga app installed, and your runner followed in it.
2. The start time in your own time zone: 8:30 in Málaga is 7:30 in London, Dublin and Lisbon.
3. Your runner has sent you their GPS tracking link, and you tested it on Friday or Saturday while they were at the expo.
4. Their phone starts fully charged, battery saver off, location permission set to "Always".
5. At least one cheer ready for the seafront (km 30–39) and one for the finish, plus your phone at hand to send one live when the map shows they're slowing.
6. If you're there: you've picked your spots (the Paseo del Parque area several times, or Pedregalejo and the seafront), and you've agreed on a meeting point away from the finish.

Frequently asked questions