Valencia Half Marathon 2027 Ballot: Everything You Need to Know

Three days after the 2026 race finished on the streets of Valencia, the organisers flipped the switch on 2027. If you ran last Sunday, you have a four-day loyalty window starting 5 November to lock in your return. If you didn’t, you have until 16 November to enter a public draw that will decide whether you get a bib at all. The world’s fastest half marathon now hands out spots the same way London and Tokyo hand out marathon bibs, and it happened faster than most runners noticed.

This is only the second year Valencia has used a ballot for the half. The shift happened in 2026 when demand crossed the point where first-come-first-served could not work fairly. Twenty-five thousand bibs go into the pool. Loyalty holders get the first cut. Whatever is left goes to the public draw. A notary witnesses it.

How the Valencia Half Marathon 2027 Ballot Works

The system runs in two clearly separated phases. The loyalty phase gives returning runners a guaranteed window to re-enter without competing against the public. Once that window closes, any remaining bibs go into a random draw open to anyone who has not already secured a place.

Entering the ballot itself is free. But you will need an active bank card when you sign up, and a €5 hold will be placed on it for up to 15 days. The organisers use this to confirm your interest is genuine. The hold drops automatically once the period is up, regardless of the result. You will not be charged anything for the draw alone.

Valencia Half Marathon 2027 Registration Timeline

Who Qualifies for the Loyalty Priority Phase?

If you were a registered bib holder for the 2026 Valencia Half Marathon on race day, you qualify. Running the race is not the requirement. Remaining the official holder is. That means anyone who held onto their bib and did not cancel due to injury, a bib ownership transfer or a refund request is eligible to register during the loyalty window.

How to Enter the Public Ballot for the Valencia Half Marathon

You will need your full name, date of birth, email address and ID or passport number to complete the registration. None of these details can be changed after submission. The organisers lock the information to prevent a selected runner from passing the place to someone else. If you enter someone else’s details, you need their prior consent for their data to be used.

One more thing worth understanding: the duplicate detection is active and real. The organisers run IP detection tools, data pattern checks and duplication software across all entries. One registration per person, full stop. If you register more than once, all your entries will be cancelled. You will not get a second chance.

Can You Enter the Valencia Half Marathon Ballot as a Group?

Yes, in groups of up to three people. You fill in the personal details for everyone in the group during your registration. Each person then receives a confirmation email and must verify they want to take part. Your registration numbers will be consecutive, and if your number is drawn, each member of the group gets the chance to complete their individual registration and run together.

Group entry carries exactly the same odds as entering individually. You are not improving or reducing your chances by signing up as a group. You are simply giving the system a way to keep you together if you get in.

What Happens After the Valencia Half Marathon Draw?

You get an email on 18 November telling you whether you have been allocated a spot. If you are selected, you have seven days to complete and pay for your registration.

If the ballot runs undersubscribed and not all 25,000 bibs are allocated through the loyalty and ballot phases, waiting list runners will be assigned remaining spots in the order they registered.

What About Bib Transfers for Valencia 2027?

This depends on how you got your bib. Loyalty phase bibs allow ownership transfers in the same way previous editions have handled them. If you need to pass your place to someone else, you are responsible for finding and designating them.

Ballot bibs work differently. If a ballot winner cancels via a bib ownership transfer, that bib does not go to the person the original holder nominates. It goes back to the waiting list and is reassigned in waiting list order. You cannot effectively give a ballot bib to a friend.

SuperVoucher Holders Do Not Need to Enter the Ballot

Is the Valencia Half Marathon Worth Entering the Ballot For?

Valencia has held the world half marathon record three times. It is one of six races in the SuperHalfs series alongside Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen and Cardiff. It closes the SuperHalfs calendar each October on a flat coastal course with conditions that suit fast running. And unlike the World Marathon Majors, there is no qualifying time. The ballot is the only filter.

The entire ballot system is built around one principle that most race entries ignore: giving every runner an equal shot, regardless of how quickly they can click a registration link. That is the right call for a race at this level of demand, and it makes Valencia worth having in your target list if a SuperHalfs series is something you are building toward.