Your guide to Lola Challenge Weekend 2026: routes, transportation, and where to have breakfast

For 16 years, Raymond Arrieta walked hundreds of miles along Puerto Rico's roads to raise funds for patients at the Hospital Oncológico. This November he will walk as honorary padrino alongside participants in the Lola Challenge Weekend, returning Nov. 6-8, 2026, for its 12th edition. This year's proceeds will go to the Liga Puertorriqueña Contra el Cáncer.

This edition brings changes worth knowing before you leave home. The Expo moves to Plaza Las Américas, the courses are new, and all three races finish at Balneario El Escambrón, where the new LOLA Fest will be held. Here is the schedule, the courses, transportation, wave corrals and where to have breakfast near the finish line.

⏱️ Lola Challenge 2026 Schedule and Dates

The weekend includes a 5K, a 10K and a half marathon (21K) on three consecutive days. You can run one, two or all three races. Each has its own medal, and those who complete all three also receive the Full Challenge medal.

• 5K, Friday, Nov. 6, 4:30 a.m. Starts from the north side of the Capitolio de Puerto Rico and finishes at Balneario El Escambrón. Time limit: 1 hour.

• 10K, Saturday, Nov. 7, 4:30 a.m. Starts and finishes at Balneario El Escambrón. Time limit: 2 hours.

• 21K, Sunday, Nov. 8, 4:00 a.m. Starts and finishes at Balneario El Escambrón. Time limit: 4 hours.

According to the official guide, road closures begin at 3:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.

🏃 Race Courses

All three courses changed this year. You can also review them in the Guía para corredores 2026.

5K Course

The course starts from the north side of the Capitolio, on Avenida Luis Muñoz Rivera, toward Plaza Colón. There it turns right onto Calle Norzagaray and continues to Plaza del Quinto Centenario (el Tótem), where it turns left, passes in front of the iglesia San José and continues along Calle del Cristo.

At the corner of Calle Fortaleza it turns left and continues to Avenida Constitución. At the first traffic light in Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera (Calle San Agustín) it turns toward the finish at Balneario El Escambrón.

10K Course

The race starts from Balneario El Escambrón and turns right onto Avenida Luis Muñoz Rivera, heading toward the Capitolio. At Plaza Colón it turns left and, immediately, left again onto Avenida Constitución, which it follows in the direction of Expreso Román Baldorioty de Castro.

It takes the first exit toward Avenida Roberto H. Todd, turns left to pass under the bridge, then turns left again to return to the expressway heading toward the isleta de San Juan. At Puente Dos Hermanos it turns right, makes a U-turn farther ahead, then turns right onto Avenida Muñoz Rivera to the entrance of Balneario El Escambrón, where it turns right for the final stretch.

21K Course (Half Marathon)

The race starts from Balneario El Escambrón and turns right onto Avenida Luis Muñoz Rivera.

• At Plaza Colón, turn right onto Calle Norzagaray toward Plaza del Quinto Centenario (el Tótem). There, turn left, pass in front of the San José church and continue along Calle del Cristo to Calle Fortaleza, where you turn left toward Avenida Constitución.

• Follow Avenida Constitución and continue along Expreso Luis Muñoz Rivera toward Hato Rey. At Hato Rey, take the left service road of Avenida Muñoz Rivera.

• At Avenida Roosevelt, turn left and then left again onto Avenida Ponce de León, heading toward San Juan. At the traffic light at Avenida Rexach (Farmacia Caridad), turn left and immediately right to return to Expreso Muñoz Rivera.

• Turn right on Avenida Roberto H. Todd toward the Expreso Román Baldorioty de Castro bridge. Pass underneath and turn left to enter the expressway. At Puente Dos Hermanos, turn right, make a U-turn at the end and, on the way out, turn right onto Avenida Muñoz Rivera toward the entrance to Balneario El Escambrón and the finish line.

*All routes are subject to changes or modifications as determined by the organizers on the day of the event.

👟 La Milla New Balance

New Balance joins this year as a partner of the event with La Milla New Balance, the final stretch of each route. In the 5K it begins at mile 2.1, in the 10K at mile 5.2 and in the 21K at mile 12.1. The two fastest participants in that stretch, by sex and category, win a pair of sneakers. Applies to runners 18 years or older registered in the Full Challenge.

🚻 🚰 Restrooms and water stations

There will be portable restrooms at the start, at the finish and at some water stations. The routes will have ambulances and, on Friday and Sunday, paramedics will be stationed on Calle del Cristo in Old San Juan.

5K Water Stations

• Museo de San Juan

• South-side steps of the Capitolio de Puerto Rico

• Balneario El Escambrón (with restroom)

10K Water Stations

• South-side steps of the Capitolio de Puerto Rico

• Condominio Millenium (Avenida Constitución)

• Monumento Román Baldorioty de Castro, Expreso Baldorioty de Castro

• Balneario El Escambrón (with restroom)

21K Water Stations

• Plaza Colón, north side

• South-side steps of the Capitolio de Puerto Rico

• Condominio Millenium (with restroom)

• Natatorio, Expreso Luis Muñoz Rivera

• Condominio Aquablue, service road

• Highway, Sagrado Corazón area (with restroom)

• Walmart, Parada 18, Santurce

• Monumento Román Baldorioty de Castro, Expreso Baldorioty de Castro

• Balneario El Escambrón (with restroom)

🏋️ Lola Health & Fitness Expo at Plaza Las Américas

Before the races, the Expo takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Thursday, Nov. 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., in the former Sears space on the first level of Plaza Las Américas. That is where you pick up your runner's packet. The organization will announce talks and workshops for both days on its social media.

📦 What to know for picking up your packet and BIB

• Present the QR code you received with your electronic registration. The packet and runner number are only handed out at the Expo.

• If someone else picks it up for you, they must bring a written authorization, their ID and a copy of yours.

• The BIB is personal and non-transferable. If someone else uses it, they will not be covered by the event's insurance. In relays, the entire team shares the same BIB. Wear it visibly on your chest and do not fold or alter it.

• Find your wave. There are four waves (corrals), each with a color that appears next to your number. All have pacers with colored flags to guide you during the race. Adaptive athletes have their own corral.

🚙 Where to park and transportation options

🚉 Tren Urbano

Leave your car for free at one of the Tren Urbano stations with parking and take the train to Sagrado Corazón. The train will run every 16 minutes. There, buses pick up runners and companions, with priority given to runners. Sagrado Corazón is not among the stations with parking because it is used only for boarding the buses.

Stations with free parking: 📍Bayamón (Los Tráilers), 📍Bayamón (Deportivo Municipal), 📍Torrimar, 📍Martínez Nadal, 📍San Francisco and 📍Cupey

Tren Urbano will operate on this schedule for the event:

• Friday, Nov. 6: 1:00 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 7: 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 8: 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

Service is suspended one hour before each race begins, so arrive early.

🚍 Bus stops by race

5K: the bus stops on the south side of the Capitolio, on Avenida Constitución.

10K and 21K: each entrance is marked with a letter and corresponds to certain waves. Buses stop at all of them.

• Entrance A, Normandie building: waves 3 and 4

• Entrances B and C, Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera pedestrian bridge: waves 2 and 3

• Entrance D, Balneario El Escambrón: waves 1, 2 and adaptive athletes

🛏️ If you're staying in Old San Juan

In front of Hotel Rumbao, buses will run exclusively for runners staying in Old San Juan, from 1:00 a.m. to 3:45 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on Sunday. This service is also suspended one hour before each race.

🔁 Return after the race

When you finish, cross Avenida Constitución in front of Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera and walk down Calle Ramón Power to Calle Luis Armando "Vico C." Buses to the Sagrado Corazón station or to Old San Juan depart from there. Service will be available until two and a half hours after the races end.

🎉 LOLA Fest at El Escambrón

After crossing the finish line, you enter the LOLA Fest, a space to rest and celebrate with music, refreshments, massages, photo areas, kiosks and the official LOLA Shop.

• Friday: 3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

• Saturday: 3:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

• Sunday: 3:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Jewelry store Kury returns to engrave your name and finish time on your medal for an additional fee. The medal ribbons came out of a competition among students at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño de Puerto Rico, under the theme "Corriendo por mi casa a son boricua." The winning design, by Eva Bayona, was inspired by the architecture of Puerto Rican homes throughout history.

☕ Where to have breakfast near the finish line

Near the finish line, in Puerta de Tierra, Old San Juan and Condado, there are cafés and restaurants that open early Friday through Sunday. Confirm hours before you go, as some streets will be closed during the races.

🤝 For a good cause

This edition's donation benefits the Liga Puertorriqueña Contra el Cáncer, a nonprofit founded in 1938 that offers diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and support programs through the Hospital Oncológico Dr. Isaac González Martínez. According to the Registro Central de Cáncer de Puerto Rico, about 16,500 cancer cases are diagnosed on the Island each year.

If you'd like to contribute, you can donate through ATH Móvil in the Donations section by searching for /LigaCancerPR.

The event is organized by Run Like a Lola, Inc., a 100% Puerto Rican, women-led committee that has been at the helm of the Lola Challenge for 12 years.

This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).