Central/South America

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Includes Antigua de Guatemala

Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America. There are mountains all around. Most of the buildings are modern, as the city was largely reconstructed following the 1917-1918 earthquakes. The city is divided into 22 Zones. The situation for running in Guatemala City can be a challenge: the city is dense and quite congested, the main roads are very wide, and the air quality can be poor. But there are some decent places for running, if you use our guide! If you’d like to have an in-person guided running experience in Guatemala City, we highly recommend our friends at Go! Running Tours.

The best places to run in Guatemala City are in the downtown area. We’ve mapped two ‘runseeing’ tours that can be combined: one focused on the historical centre, and the other on Av. Reforma & Parque Las Americas. Other decent spots include Erick Barrondo Park, the campus of the Universidad de San Carlos, and around the upscale Cayala neighborhood. We’ve also put together a ‘runseeing’ tour of Antigua Guatemala, a popular visitor destination 30 km from Guatemala City.

Note that the city is located at nearly 5,000 feet — runners will need to get acclimatized! But the weather is nice for running year-round, with nearly uniform temperatures (though a distinct wet season). As for getting around, there’s a good subway system in the central city and an extensive bus system.

Editor's Picks

Some of our favorite runs in Guatemala City, Guatemala

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Due to its altitude, Guatemala City has a tropical savanna climate, with nearly uniform temperatures year-round and distinct wet and dry seasons. Average highs are in the 24-27C (75-81F) range, and lows are 13-16C (54-60F). Most of the 1300mm (50 inches) of annual rainfall occurs from May-November.

climatemps.org

The Zona Vica, the main hotel district downtown, has access to our two main downtown running routes.

RUNNING STORES

Forrest Running Shop is the one independent running-centric store in Guatemala City, and features a great selection of gear.

There are also outlets for Asics, Newton Running, and sporting good stores Zona Sport and Sportline that feature gear.

GROUP RUNS

Sporta Runners Guatemala is a Strava running group.

Also, Go!Running Tours leads good running tours of Guatemala City.

Running event calendar for Guatemala.