Cancún is located on the northeast coast of the Yucatán peninsula and is a popular vacation destination owing to its great beaches, numerous hotels, reliably good weather, and relative proximity to the United States. It’s also the northern anchor point of the ever-growing Riviera Maya (Mayan Peninsula), which stretches along Highway 307 south to Tulum and is lined with beach resorts looking out to the Caribbean Sea. Despite the sea, beaches, and good weather, the options for running in Cancun and vicinity aren’t great. There are few secondary roads or multi-use paths, and no major public parks. But we’ve done the research to find you the best places to run in Cancún. Also below are running guides for Isla Mujeres, Holbox, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Tulum. Our thanks to Antonio at the Ritz Carlton for his advice on some sections!
Some of the best running in Cancún’s ‘hotel zone’ is on the fairly well packed sand of the lovely, wide beaches. There’s also a 10 km section of the main road that has a separate multi-use path that’s popular with runners. Unfortunately most of your views will be of hotels rather than the sea. We’ve also researched some of the better running options in the area and along the Mayan Riviera, including Isla Mujeres, Holbox, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Playacar, and Tulum. Some of the mega all-inclusive resorts are big enough where one could put together a few km along their well-manicured paths, even using the beach as a connector to run between them. If you’d like to have an in-person guided running experience in Cancún, we highly recommend our friends at Go! Running Tours.
A few items to be aware of when running in this area. The weather can be very hot and humid, so going early or late might be recommended in certain seasons. In central Cancún, use caution and consider running with a buddy and not at night. There are some buses running between downtown Cancún and the hotel zone, and along Highway 307 (allowing for a one-way run).
