Cursa de la Mercè

Barcelona in late September is a completely different city from the one tourists know: it's the Mercè, the city's patron festival, and locals live it with a rare intensity. Streets fill with concerts, castellers, correfoc and neighbourhood celebrations — an authentic, local atmosphere that's hard to catch as an outsider. This isn't just a race: it's the perfect excuse to spend a weekend in Barcelona at the moment when the city is truly itself.

The weather is perfect: clear skies, 24-26 degrees, none of the summer humidity. And right in the middle of it all, the Cursa de la Mercè: a 10 km race with over 10,000 participants every year, running through a city in full celebration. Racing it makes you feel like a true local.

RunAway takes you into this weekend with a different approach: no tourist traps, no obvious landmarks. We'll stay in a shared house or 3-star hotel away from the tourist centre — in Gràcia, in Sarrià, in Sants — in the neighbourhoods where the real Barcelona lives. In the days before the race, the RunAway team will take you to discover hidden gems: Mercè initiatives, events and celebrations that don't appear in any tourist guide, the kind that only neighbourhood locals know about. We'll explore markets and trattorias serving real Catalan food, take a day trip to a lesser-known stretch of coastline, do a running technique session and a sunset yoga on the beach. And Sunday morning: race day.