Media Maratón del Mar: running the Cartagena, Colombia half marathon

The Media Maratón del Mar is the half marathon of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on the Caribbean coast. Don’t mix it up with the Media Maratón Ciudad de Cartagena, run in Spain’s Murcia region — same city name, different continent, different race.

I ran the Colombian one in February 2026 and wrote up the full story. This piece is the practical side: the facts you need to plan your race, taken from the organizers’ official site and the Colombian press.

Cartagena Half Marathon 2027: the date

The 2027 edition is on Sunday, February 21, 2027. The organizers are billing it as the event’s 10th anniversary. The kids’ race, MMM Kids, runs the day before, on Saturday, February 20.

There are two distances: the 21K and the 10K. The organizers are opening 10,000 spots, individual entries only.

For a sense of scale: the 2026 edition — the ninth — was held on February 22, 2026, with 9,500 runners announced, close to 400 of them from abroad, according to Cartagena’s daily El Universal. Colombian media describe it as the opening of the country’s road-racing season.

Start times: before sunrise

This is the first thing to wrap your head around: you race in the cool of the early morning, so very early.

• 21K: 5:20 a.m.
• 10K: 5:50 a.m.

The official FAQ lists a cut-off of 3 hours for the 21K and 2 hours for the 10K. After that, the roads reopen to traffic.

21K runners are split into three corrals by target time: under 1:50, between 1:50 and 2:10, and over 2:10. Your corral is colour-coded on your bib.

A start inside the port — and a mandatory shuttle

The race starts inside the Sociedad Portuaria de Cartagena, the city’s commercial port. You can’t make your own way there: the organizers state that only runners arriving on the official transport are let into the port.

When you register, you pick one of 9 pickup points around the city. A wristband handed out with your bib gets you on the bus. Shuttles leave in the middle of the night, so set your alarm accordingly. No children or pets on board, and the organizers take no responsibility for anything left on the buses.

The course: from the port to the walled city

The 2027 course map hasn’t been published yet. The 2026 route, laid out by El Universal along with the road closures, gives you a good idea:

• out of the port and through the Manga neighbourhood;
• across Getsemaní, the colourful district at the foot of the city walls;
• into the historic centre and its colonial streets;
• for the 21K, an extra loop along Avenida Santander on the seafront, out to Castillogrande;
• a finish near Avenida Blas de Lezo and Calle del Arsenal, at the edge of Getsemaní.

The organizers warn that the route can change because of roadwork or closures — the official map for the edition is the one that counts.

Running in the tropics: the real challenge

Cartagena in February means Caribbean heat and humidity, even at 5 a.m. Coming straight out of a Canadian winter, it’s a shock to the system. A few habits that help:

• Rethink your goal time. Your last half in a cool climate isn’t a fair benchmark here. Start more conservatively than usual.
• Drink early and often. The organizers plan water roughly every 2 km, with a sports drink at some stations.
• Land a few days early. Two or three days won’t fully acclimatize you, but you won’t be meeting the heat for the first time on race morning.
• Dress light, and cover up after the finish: the sun climbs fast.

Bib pickup: in person, with ID

Race-kit pickup is on Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20, 2027, at the Centro de Convenciones Cartagena de Indias, during the race expo. It’s strictly personal: nobody can collect your kit for you, and you need original photo ID. Travelling, that means your passport.

The kit includes the official race shirt and your chip-timed bib; the medal comes at the finish line.

Registration: the foreign runner’s headache

You must be 18 on race day to run the 21K. Registration goes through the official site, with a separate rate for international runners. Spots are sold until they run out, and changes are tightly limited: a bib can be transferred only once, only through the organizers, and there are no refunds.

That’s where the getaway makes life easier: your race entry is included and your bib is guaranteed. No Spanish-language forms, no paying in a foreign currency.

Running Cartagena with The Run Away

Our Cartagena half marathon getaway runs from Wednesday, February 17 to Sunday, February 21, 2027, in a small group of 10 spots. It includes:

• your Media Maratón del Mar entry, bib guaranteed;
• four nights at the Hampton hotel in Cartagena, breakfast included;
• your airport-to-hotel transfer on arrival;
• support at bib pickup, at the group shakeout run, and all the way to the shuttle on race morning;
• a The Run Away t-shirt.

International flights are not included — Air Transat flies direct from Montreal to Cartagena — and neither are the return transfer to the airport, meals or travel insurance. Packages and prices are listed on the getaway page.

FAQ

When is the Media Maratón del Mar 2027?

Sunday, February 21, 2027, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The 21K starts at 5:20 a.m., the 10K at 5:50 a.m.

Is the course hard?

It’s an urban course linking the port, the old town and the seafront. The real difficulty is the climate: heat and humidity right from the gun.

Can I walk or take a taxi to the start?

No. The start is inside the port, and only runners arriving on the official shuttles are allowed in.

Where should I stay?

Somewhere near one of the shuttle pickup points. On the getaway, that’s taken care of: we all stay together at the Hampton hotel.

Sources: Media Maratón del Mar official site and its FAQ; El Universal, 2026 edition and 2026 route; Publimetro.