Malaga running tours

Guide to Malaga users may know that I’m keen on running and get out on the seafront for a jog whenever I can. I was therefore irresistibly drawn to a leaflet on the CADE Malaga desk publicising Malaga running tours. I got in touch and a little while later found myself discovering Malaga in my trainers.

Ideal for running tours

Vicky and her company Malaga Tour Running have certainly hit on a great idea. Malaga is ideal for running tours – mostly flat, plenty of great things to see in a relatively small radius and of course, with 320 (guaranteed) days of warm sunshine a year.

Vicky meets me outside AC Palacio Hotel at 9am on a weekday morning in early December. There’s a slight chill in the air (but we’re in t-shirts and shorts), the sky is as blue as it gets and miracle of miracles, there’s hardly anyone about.

Quick check on my level of fitness, a warm-up and a reminder that Vicky’s carrying water for me if I need it and we’re off. We set a gentle pace into the old quarter and my Malaga running tour starts proper.

Potted guide to Malaga

Vicky takes me round the main monuments in the old quarter and provides a running (literally!) commentary as we go. She’s very knowledgeable about the city and offers information and anecdotes about the main tourist attractions as we pass them by.

You get a good snapshot of the city’s past and principal monuments. Don’t expect big detail into dates and history – the idea behind Vicky’s tour is to give you a general idea while you see the sights in Malaga.

There are plenty of opportunities to take photos – and we do because Malaga is looking particularly fine in the late autumn sunshine.

Malaga from up above

By now we’ve covered most of the old quarter and run up Calle Larios with the busiest street in Malaga almost to ourselves. Ditto the Pasaje de Chinitas. Before we start to climb.

I’ll admit to slight trepidation when Vicky announces we’re running up to the Gibralfaro Viewing Platform. I walked it many times but run it? Never. But Vicky – who adapts all her tours to your pace – is reassuring and we take a slope at a gentle pace. I’m surprised to get as high as I do and before long, we’re contemplating Malaga down below.

We then set off on the beaten track on a footpath I’ve never taken before. We have lots of red squirrels for company – they’re obviously used to visitors because they hardly bat an eyelid as we run past. More amazing views and suddenly, we’re at the back of the Gibralfaro.

Malaga down below

The other side of Malaga sits below us now as we take the back road down from the Gibralfaro down to sea level again. The pace suits me fine and Vicky is still rewarding me with titbits of information about the city and its history.

A quick visit to see Picasso in Plaza de la Merced before we run down Calle Granada and to the Paseo del Parque. We admire the statues and fountains as we pass under the collection of tropical trees on our way to the Pompidou Centre to the end of Malaga running tour.

Our GPS don’t quite agree but we’ve clocked up more or less 8.5km and seen most of Malaga city centre in around an hour and 20 minutes. No prizes for speed then, but Malaga Tour Running isn’t about breaking personal bests or setting new records for Spain.

Malaga running tours are about seeing the city in a different way and adding to your fitness at the same time. I’m feeling energised and have discovered a new part of Malaga. Vicky is great company and I loved how she set her pace perfectly to mine. What a great way to spend an early Monday morning!

About Malaga Tour Running

Vicky’s a personal trainer and (obviously) a runner, although she confesses to preferring trail to city running. Born in Argentina, she returned to her mother’s Malaga roots 18 years ago and like so many of us, considers herself an “honorary” local.

Malaga Tour Running offers a choice of tours, both in Malaga itself and outside the city. All are personalised and adapted to your own level of fitness and pace. Vicky also runs mountain running tours that give you the chance to see some of the amazing countryside around Malaga. With a total of 10 different tours to choose from, there’s something for everyone who likes to see a new destination at running rather than walking pace.

Need to know

• Tours start at €40 for 1 person (the more people, the cheaper they are – for example, a tour for 3 runners costs €89).
• They last from 1 hour 30 minutes in town to 6 hours if you choose the longest tour.
• Vicky takes a maximum of 6 people on each tour so this is a highly personalised experience.

You can find out more about Malaga Tour Running here.

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