Barcelona Half Marathon, 15 Feb 2026

Coming into this race, I genuinely didn’t know where my fitness was. The second half of 2025 had been inconsistent, and I only started training properly again in early December with Tim. So the original goal was to enjoy my first half marathon abroad and use it as motivation through the winter.

Booking Barcelona gave me something solid to aim at, and if I’m honest, it was also the perfect excuse for a weekend away with friends!

I had hoped to break two hours at some point in 2026, I knew Barcelona had a reputation for being flat and fast, but I wasn’t putting pressure on myself. After speaking to Tim the day before, we agreed on a target range of 5:44 - 6:11 min/km. Based on training, I suspected I could manage closer to 5:44 if things went well.

The weather couldn’t have been better, around 12°C and sunny. Pretty much ideal running conditions.

I went off faster than planned, completely the first KM in 5:30, but my heart rate was low and I felt controlled.

KM 2 went by in 5:30 again, my HR was around 160. Still comfortable. At this point I made the decision to hold it and see what happens.

I’ve done a lot of tempo work around 5:30/km, so it wasn’t completely foreign territory. The roads were wide with long, straight sections and minimal turns, so it never felt congested. There was a slight incline through KM 3–5 and then a gentle downhill around KM 7, after that the course was mostly flat.

At halfway, I was still holding 5:30 pace. That was the first moment I allowed myself to think: sub-2 is actually on here. Heart rate was still comfortably in the 160s. Legs felt strong. No real signs of fading.

KM 13–16 was probably the toughest mentally — a long out-and-back stretch that felt a bit monotonous.

I’d read about a hill at km 18. When it arrived, it was over in about 30 seconds — more of a bump than a climb, followed by a nice downhill/flat section toward the finish.

I had enough left to push the final kilometre. It got a bit congested near the end, so there was some zigzagging involved, but by then I was fully committed.

I crossed the line in 1:57:24. A 3-minute PB, and my first time under two hours.

Overall, it felt controlled, heart rate stayed manageable, and I finished strong. It’s given me confidence for the rest of 2026.

Rachel Marshall