Lieues foréziennes - Bonson 2026

In Bonson, a village in the Forez plain of France’s Loire department, the Lieues Foréziennes offers three road races on the same morning: five lieues, two lieues, and one lieue. In modern distances, these are 21 km, 10 km, and 5 km. The longest race starts first, followed by the 10 km, and then the 5 km. The event is linked to Armistice Day in France, so Bonson observes a national day of remembrance with running alongside ceremony. The race has reached its 39th edition and can draw a large local field, with over 1,500 runners reported for that edition. The front of the race is competitive. Thibaud Nael won the men’s race for a fifth time, while Alison Gouteyron was also among the expected top performers. Nael mentioned he was followed until about the sixth kilometer before he pulled clear, indicating the main race is a fast local contest at the front, with a larger field participating in the shorter distances.