Seville, Spain · February
Pacing the Seville Marathon
Among the flattest major courses
Almost entirely flat through a compact historic city, run in cool February air. It has built a reputation as one of the fastest courses in Europe and draws a field that comes specifically for the time.
Official site: dates and entry
Dates, ballots and entry rules change every year and are not listed here. Check the official site.
How to pace it
This is about as close to a controlled experiment in marathon pacing as a road race gets. There is barely any elevation, the temperature is usually close to ideal, and the course does not throw anything at you.
Which means that if the day goes wrong, the pacing was the reason. There is no hill to blame and no heat to blame. That is worth knowing in advance, because it changes how conservative you should be early: on a course with no variables, an even effort really does produce an even pace, and there is no argument for banking time against difficulty later.
The field is full of runners in personal best shape running in disciplined groups, which is a genuine advantage. Find one running your target pace rather than one running slightly quicker, and let it do the work of both the wind and the arithmetic.
Some of the older streets are narrow, so the first kilometre or two will be congested and slow. That is the course, not a deficit.
Worth knowing
- Good conditions tempt people into revising the target upward on the start line. That is a decision to make in training, not on the morning.
- Narrow early streets mean a slow first kilometre. Do not chase it back.
- Even in February the sun can be strong by late morning, and the course has limited shade.
What the common targets ask for
| Finish | Per km | Per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00:00 | 4:16 | 6:52 |
| 3:30:00 | 4:59 | 8:01 |
| 4:00:00 | 5:41 | 9:09 |
| 4:30:00 | 6:24 | 10:18 |