Marathon du Grand Ballon

Marathon du Grand Ballon is a mountain trail race based in Oderen, Haut-Rhin. Runners head into the Markstein area and toward the Grand Ballon, the highest summit in the Vosges. The race, held in mid-July, offers several trail distances, from a short course around 13 to 16 km up to an 80 km mountain route. This is not a road marathon with a token hill; even the shorter races climb hard, and the 80 km course gains 4,133 metres of elevation. The routes are single-loop trails through high-altitude mountain and forest terrain. The 42 km race climbs 2,210 metres, and the 22 km race climbs 1,200 metres. The 42 km, 22 km, and 13 km races each had over 100 runners at the previous edition, giving the event the feel of a focused mountain-running meet rather than a large city race. Several distances count for the UTMB Index, making it useful for runners building qualifying records, as well as for locals and trail runners seeking a demanding day in the Vosges.