---
title: "San José Half Marathon: course analysis and tips"
published: 2016-06-16
updated: 2026-08-04
source: "https://dev-abp.massivoai.com/en/articles/media-maraton-san-jose-analisis-del-recorrido-y-consejos"
---

# San José Half Marathon: course analysis and tips

**The Essential Half Marathon San José (MMSJ) is establishing itself in the country's half marathon calendar as one of the races to follow, both for its organizational quality and its unique and different route.**

All the details seem to have been covered by the organizers, among them perhaps the most important of all: traffic control. An event that starts in San Pedro and passes through Curridabat, Desamparados, San Francisco de Dos Ríos and San José Centro must have impeccable logistics if it wants to guarantee the safety of participants on such busy routes, and that is what the organizers of the MMSJ promise.

"Paseo Colón will be completely closed for the runners to pass and we are finalizing details with traffic to close all the streets on the route while the runners pass," explained Mario Reyes, event director.

So the nearly 1,500 registered runners will be able to tackle the 21 kilometers of the route with the streets all to themselves. The route, by the way, has many curves and turns, but is generally favorable for achieving good times since the finish is 81 meters below the start; that is, there is a net descent of 81 vertical meters.

![MMSJ alt N](https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13411822_1129611850429472_7378228879151757561_o.jpg "MMSJ alt N")

As seen in the graph above, the route alternates constantly between climbs and descents, but all of them are slight and short. The section with the greatest descent is the 5 kilometers between Curridabat and San Francisco de Dos Ríos (from kilometer 8 to 13). There is also another relatively long descent section between Zapote and San José (from kilometer 15.5 to 18.5).

During the route there will be seven hydration stations, placed every 2.5 kilometers. That is, there will be Gatorade and water at kilometers 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5 and at the finish line there will be the eighth hydration station. It is important to note that the organization will provide both Gatorade and water in cups and not in pouches, as is customary in most races. "We don't believe in pouches for health reasons," explained Reyes. "The water we will use is all purified, from jugs, and we will provide both Gatorade and water in cups," he added.

Another important detail is that each kilometer will be marked with a sign so that runners can always know which part of the route they are on. Every three kilometers, moreover, there will be a representation of the provinces, with dancing, music and even masquerades. (You can read more details here: "[**The Essential Half Marathon San José Will Be Run Between Calypso And Masquerades**](../../../New/detail/119/la-esencial-media-maraton-san-jose-se-correra-entre-calypso-y-mascaradas)").

Registration for the Essential Half Marathon San José is now closed. Packet pickup will be on Friday, June 17, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Barrio Tournon.

You can see the detailed route map [**HERE**](../../../Race/detail/177/media-maraton-san-jose). Good luck to all participants!

 

A Buen Paso uses [Massivo](https://massivoai.com), the event-registration platform that powers this article.