Ekiden de Touraine - Ballan-Miré 2027

Six runners cover a marathon distance at the Ekiden de Touraine, with legs of 5 km, 10 km, 5 km, 10 km, 5 km, and 7.195 km. The relay starts at Parc Beauverger in Ballan-Miré, near Tours in Indre-et-Loire, on a Sunday morning in March. ASPTT Tours established the event in 2004 and continues to organize it. It is a team road race, structured around handovers and pacing among six different runners, not one individual completing the full 42.195 km. The race attracts a large field for an ekiden, with several hundred teams participating in recent editions. Its scope extends beyond Centre-Val de Loire, and it has hosted the French Ekiden Championships twice. The event is also included in the National Série Ekiden, established by the French Athletics Federation. Runner order is fixed: the sequence registered is the relay order on race day. Licensed runners must present an FFA or approved federation license; others now require proof of completing the FFA health prevention course instead of a medical certificate.