Marathon des Villages 2026

The Marathon des Villages begins at the Marché de Piraillan on the Lège-Cap Ferret peninsula in Gironde, on France’s Atlantic coast near the Bassin d’Arcachon. It takes place annually in October, during the All Saints’ holiday period, and includes both a solo 42.195 km marathon and a two-person relay. The relay exchange is at the halfway point, with the second runner completing 26 km, making it suitable for pairs seeking the full race atmosphere without running a full marathon each. The time limit is 6 hours 30 minutes, and aid stations are positioned approximately every 4 km, providing water, fruit, chips, syrup, and Coca-Cola from the 20 km mark. The course is a figure-eight loop crossing the peninsula’s villages, featuring pine forests, oyster farming communities, coastal trails, sea air, and roughly 250 meters of elevation gain. It incorporates six distinct surfaces, adding variety and difficulty compared to a flat city marathon. The event attracts participants from across France and internationally, with recent numbers showing around 2,720 individuals from 85 French departments and 23 nationalities. Local traditions are prominent: finishers are awarded a medal, a collectible technical T-shirt, and a bottle of wine, while weekend food vendors offer sandwiches, oysters, and sausages. The organizers also quantify race provisions, such as thousands of liters of water and hundreds of kilos of dried fruit for the participants.