Asics SaintéLyon is a night trail race from Saint-Etienne to Lyon, linking the Loire and Rhône regions in late November cold. The main race is 80 km, run solo or as a relay. The event also offers shorter formats of 13 km, 24 km, 35 km, and 45 km, plus a 160 km out-and-back version called Lyon-SaintéLyon. A 21 km walking event, SaintÉpique, is also available. Runners should expect rain, snow, ice, mud, long climbs, and hours moving by headlamp in the dark.
The 80 km route passes through the Monts du Lyonnais before finishing at Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon. Shorter races use nearby villages such as Chaponost, Soucieu-en-Jarrest, Mornant, Sainte-Catherine, and Saint-Christo-en-Jarez, with the 45 km route reaching 757 meters. From high points, runners can see city lights and the lamps of other runners forming a long line across the hills. Near the end, the course climbs beside the remains of the Beaunant aqueducts before dropping toward the finish, where medical staff such as osteopaths, physiotherapists, and podiatrists help runners recover. Many participants finish the weekend with Lyonnais food in the city’s bouchons.