Triatlón Desafío Castilla y León

The Triatlón Desafío Castilla y León is a triathlon held in Medina de Rioseco, in the province of Valladolid, with the historic Canal de Castilla as its backdrop. The most recent edition, the 12th, took place on Sunday 9 August 2026 and also counted as the Castilla y León middle-distance triathlon championship. The date of the next edition has not been announced yet.

Routes and distances

The 2026 edition was a non-drafting race over a 1.6 km swim, a 60 km bike and a 14 km run:

• Swim: 1,600 m in the Canal de Castilla, in small and large loops.
• Bike: 60 km over two laps, with no drafting. Road, gravel and time-trial bikes were allowed; mountain bikes were not.
• Run: 14 km over three laps.

The organiser has also run a children’s event, the Desafío Kids, alongside the main race in recent years.

Registration

For the 2026 edition there were 350 places, with entry through the Castilla y León triathlon federation’s registration platform and prices that rose in three stages. Federated athletes paid from €82 to €135 and non-federated athletes from €97 to €157, depending on when they entered. Registration for the next edition is not open yet. Check the official website for news.

Why race it

Swimming in the calm waters of a historic canal makes this a distinctive setting for a triathlon in the heart of Castilla y León. The 2026 organisation donated part of every entry to a paediatric cancer research charity, and the overall winners received an invitation to the 2027 edition.

Where to stay

Medina de Rioseco sits on the Canal de Castilla in the flat farmland of Tierra de Campos, so arriving the day before to collect your bib and check the transition area makes for a calmer race morning. We do not yet have a certified cycling-friendly stay within 40 km of the start, but you can browse cycling-friendly accommodation across the region as new properties are added.