Trail marathons for road runners: which race to start with?

Paris, France

1EcoTrail Paris: three forest starts, Trocadéro finish

On October 17, 2026, three races share the same name but start from different places. The 80 km begins at the Ile de Loisirs de Cergy-Pontoise, the 50 km at the Domaine national du chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and the 20 km at the Tennis et golf des Haras de Jardy. Each offers a different way into the forests west of Paris before the course turns back toward the city: the race brief lists the finish at Trocadero, on the Parvis des Droits de l'Homme.

The defining feature is the start time. The race begins at 11 a.m.

—with waves for the 80 km running from 11 to 11:15 a.m.—and the time limit is 12 hours.

The arithmetic is simple: runners who use the full allotment finish at night, in the city. The slowest runners see the landscape change twice: first the forest, then the lights. Autonomy is the other defining feature of the course.

On the 80 km, the organizer lists one water station and four aid station, or roughly one stop every 16 km. On a night trail, that spacing matters more than any single climb. Two uncertainties remain for this edition.

As of August 22, 2026, the organizer's FAQ still said the finish location had not been finalized, although the race brief lists Trocadero. Access to the 20 km start has also not yet been published; the other two starts are on RER A. Practical details: the race village will be at the Centre sportif Emile-Anthoine in the 15th arrondissement, open on October 15 and 16 from 11 a.

m. to 8:30 p.m.

; photo ID and a QR code are required. Free regional transport is available to entrants. Entry fees rise in tiers from €110 to €140 for the 80 km, €90 to €115 for the 50 km and €45 to €56 for the 20 km.

Salomon EcoTrail ParisSat, October 17, 2026 · D-4 · Paris, FranceSee race details

Annecy, France

2MaXi-Race Annecy: a night start and six race formats ranked by elevation gain

Annecy, May 28–30, 2027. The flagship tOur du lac starts on Saturday, May 29, in staggered waves between 1:25 and 3:20 a.m.

The course circles the lake through the mountains of Haute-Savoie, but the first hours are run by headlamp. The lake the course is built to circle does not appear until sunrise, and the route is shaped around the viewpoints above it. The six formats differ less in distance than in elevation gain, which the organizer lists for each one: 100 to 105 km for 5,700 to 6,100 m of gain; 55 km for 3,500 m; 42 km for 2,800 m; 40 km for the Experience format for 1,500 m; 20 km for 1,000 m; and 16 km for 900 m.

The event also has a strong local base: around twenty local associations and more than 750 volunteers run the operation. The organizer maintains two categories—the Race for the rankings and the Experience for the finish. Practical details: pre-registration runs from October 1 to 7, 2026.

The Marathon-Experience is a separate entry in autumn 2026. Fees have not yet been set; they are expected in early September 2026, pending administrative approval. A paid shuttle costs about €12 from Annecy to the starts.

The finish and MaXi-Village are at the Marquisats parking lot, within walking distance of the station. A comparison of the 42 km and the 40 km Experience makes the distinction clear: nearly identical distances, but 2,800 m of climbing versus 1,500. It is the clearest indication of what this classification is trying to convey—on this terrain, distance sets a minimum duration for the effort, not its character.

MaXi-RaceSat, May 29, 2027 · D-228 · Annecy, FranceSee race details

Apollo Bay, Australia

3Great Ocean Road — 44 km on a coastal road, not a trail race

Apollo Bay, Victoria, May 15 and 16, 2027. The 44 km marathon runs from Lorne to Apollo Bay via Wye River, Kennett River and Skenes Creek, following the coastal road. Ocean swell lies on one side, the Great Otway National Park forest on the other.

The setting looks like a trail, but the surface does not. This marathon is run on asphalt; the previous edition started at 8 a.m.

The confusion comes from a program that stacks the formats together: a 60 km ultra, a 44 km marathon, a 23 km half-marathon, a 14 km Paradise Run, a 12 km, a 6 km, 5 and 10 km walks, and a 1.5 km children's race. Only one event on the list is a true trail—the 12 km. Runners seeking trail terrain choose the wrong bib if they enter the longest format.

No elevation gain is published, which makes sense: a coastal road rolls without climbing like a ridgeline. What the course demands, however, is its point-to-point format. Logistics become part of the race.

Practical details: shuttles leave at 5:15 a.m. for Apollo Bay, Kennett River and Lorne; the previous fare was A$15 one way, with the last return from Apollo Bay at 2:30 p.

m. Bib are mailed before early April to an Australian address; otherwise, they must be collected at the Race Week Office in Lorne or Apollo Bay.

Great Ocean Road Running FestivalSun, May 16, 2027 · D-215 · Apollo Bay, AustraliaSee race details

Reims, France

4Reims: Sacré Trail through the vineyards, road half marathon on Sunday

On October 11, 2026, Champagne delivers two races in one weekend, and they run on entirely different surfaces. Saturday belongs to the Sacre Trail, which crosses the vineyards of the Montagne de Reims over 42 km, with an 87 km extension for the longer format. This is the off-road side: vineyard rows, tracks between parcels and the hills of the Montagne rising above the city.

On Sunday, the event drops onto asphalt and changes character. The Semi des Rois, 21.1 km at 8 a.m.

, is the weekend's headline race and runs through central Reims, passing near Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Saint-Remi Basilica. The 10 km de Remus and a 5 km race complete Sunday's program. In mid-October, Champagne brings cool autumn weather—the ideal temperature for a half marathon, less predictable for a 42 km race through vineyards, where the ground holds the night's moisture.

What is missing here is missing exactly where it matters. On a 42 km course through the hills, elevation gain and cut-off point are the two lines to read in the regulations before registering. Practical details: tiered pricing from May through October, €39 to €59 for the 42 km, €57 to €87 for the 87 km and €99 to €130 for the four-person relay; race-pack collection at the Porte de Mars village, with an early pickup on Thursday, October 8, at the Decathlon store in Cormontreuil; photo ID and the electronic ticket are required.

Bib serves as a free transit pass on the Grand Reims network—Schneiter tram stop, with the station seven minutes away on foot. Only the Sacre Trail shuttle carries an additional charge.

Reims Champagne RunOctober 2027 · expected · Reims, FranceSee race details

Oderen, France

5Grand Ballon: start at Le Markstein, 1,183 m above sea level, with seven distances

On April 24, 2027, the start and finish are at Le Markstein, around 1,183 m above sea level, opposite the Wolf hotel. The race is registered under the municipality of Oderen, but it does not run there: everything starts at the pass. The course takes its name from the Grand Ballon, the highest point in the Vosges, and the terrain is classic massif country—forest trails and ridgelines, with one climb and descent after another rather than a single sustained ascent.

Seven distances share this terrain: 21, 26, 31, 36, 48, 62 and 75 km, with more than 6,000 runners. This is the spring edition of a series that returns in July, and April at altitude is not May: the ground can still be heavy. The start altitude dictates the logistics.

No train or bus reaches the pass; free shuttles leave Willer-sur-Thur at 7:45 a.m. and arrive at 8:30 a.

m., with return trips at 12:30 and 1:15 p.m.

Missing the second means staying up on the mountain. Practical details: registration opens on February 2, 2027, with members gaining access forty-eight hours earlier; membership costs €10 to €25, a medal costs €5, a T-shirt €28.95 and donations to the association range from €1 to €40. The cut-off point and mandatory equipment vary by distance and are set out in the official regulations for each race.

The race's defining feature, however, is not the course profile. Part of the entry fees and donations goes to Les Amis de Luisa, an association formed around a child born in 2008 who lost motor function and memory after herpetic encephalitis the following year. Members of the association staff the aid stations on race day.

The runner reaching for a cup is reaching for one of those families. The event raised €8,000 in 2025, a record.

Trail du Grand BallonSat, April 24, 2027 · D-193 · Oderen, FranceSee race details

Moab, United States

6Moab — Utah canyons, with water required between aid stations

Le 7 novembre 2026, dans les canyons de grès rouge de Kane Creek, en Utah. C'est le seul parcours de cette sélection que l'on peut suivre mètre par mètre. Le marathon part de l'entrée de Pritchett Canyon et en remonte la piste à jeeps sur 5,7 miles, puis bascule sur le Hunter Canyon Rim Trail : un single-track qui suit la lèvre du canyon.

Descente sur Kane Creek Road, plongée au sud dans le single-track de Hunter Canyon, un mile de montée, demi-tour. Un mile plus bas, le Scorched Earth Wall se grimpe sur deux miles. Une fois sur la lèvre, la piste à jeeps s'efface : single-track, puis dalle de slickrock, puis fond de canyon sans sentier du tout.

Viennent ensuite le single-track de Captain Ahab sur 2,3 miles, la jeep trail d'Amasa Back, le passage Pothole Arch–Rockstacker le long du bord. La fin est le Jackson Trail, une descente de paroi exposée au-dessus du Colorado ; on traverse Kane Creek, on franchit une côte courte et raide de moins d'un quart de mile, et c'est l'arrivée. À cela s'ajoutent des washes de sable, de vieux chemins de mine et de courts slot canyons.

Le cumul reste modeste — environ 3 500 pieds, à peu près 1 070 m — avec seulement deux grosses montées : la première longue et régulière, la seconde courte et raide juste après la mi-course. Ce n'est donc pas le dénivelé qui fatigue ici, c'est le changement de sol. Les premiers passent sous 4 h, hors section de scramble au mile 17,5 ; un coureur moyen met 5 à 6 h.

Le semi suit les neuf premiers miles du marathon avant de bifurquer : descente de Tricky Rock, entrée dans Gatherer Canyon, lacets remontant vers Kane Creek Road, HyMasa trail, puis chute dans le lit de Kane Creek. Le fond est généralement dur et humide ; certaines années le sable est mou ou l'eau coule, sans dépasser le genou selon l'organisateur. Côté pratique : départs en vagues, six pour le marathon de 7 h 45 à 8 h 25, six pour le semi de 9 h 50 à 10 h 15 plus une à 11 h, quatre pour le 10 km toutes les 30 secondes à partir de 10 h 25 ; navette obligatoire depuis l'école Helen M.

Knight, 5 miles et 13 minutes, aucun stationnement sur site ; retrait des dossards le 6 novembre de 14 h à 18 h ; tarifs de 45 à 190 $, le marathon à 170, 180 puis 190 $. Les ravitaillements tombent aux miles 5,7, 9,7, 13,7, 17,4, 20,6 et 24,3 — un tous les 6 km environ. Chaque poste aligne eau, Tailwind, gels, salé et premiers secours, avec véhicule d'évacuation, et la barrière horaire, calée pour vider le parcours avant la nuit, se lit dans le guide du coureur.

Entre les postes, personne ne viendra : aucun véhicule n'accède au parcours entre ces points, et l'organisateur demande explicitement de porter son eau et sa nourriture.

Moab Trail MarathonSat, November 7, 2026 · D-25 · Moab, United StatesSee race details

Treffort, France

7Monteynard: 2 Himalayan suspension bridges above the lake

On July 11, 2027, the race takes place beside Lake Monteynard at Treffort, about 30 km south of Grenoble. Two Himalayan footbridges cross the course: the Drac bridge is 220 m long and the Ebron bridge about 200 m, with both suspended between 45 and 85 m above the water. Runners cross in single file, with the lake's turquoise surface far below.

It is the image that circulates across social media every summer, and it is also a selection criterion: vertigo rules runners out before the cut-off point. Between the two bridges, the terrain is gorge country. The Maratrail, the headline format, climbs and descends the ridges and ravines enclosing the lake over 40 km, with 2,150 m of elevation gain.

The other formats divide up the same terrain: the Petit Train, 27 km with 1,300 m; the 3rd Poste, 17 km with 750 m; the Ebron, 16 km with 750 m as well; and the Drac, 13 km with 700 m. Nine formats in all cover distances from 13 to 63 km. The footbridges came first.

Opened in 2007 and officially inaugurated in 2008, they inspired the event, which began in 2012 at EDF's initiative. The 2026 edition was the 15th, with about 7,000 participants including hikers and children's races. Practical details: registration for 2026 opened at noon on November 18, 2025; a parking pass is mandatory, and a free shuttle drops runners at Herbelon, 500 m from the start area.

Paid shuttles cost €10 from Treffort to La Mure, €6 from La Mure to Monteynard and €5 from Grenoble or Pont-de-Claix to Prunieres. Cutoffs, aid station and mandatory equipment are detailed in the runner guide. The Ebron and the 3rd Poste have almost identical elevation gain, despite a difference of just 1 km.

The choice between them is about duration, not difficulty.

Trail des Passerelles du Monteynard Sun, July 11, 2027 · D-271 · Treffort, FranceSee race details

Séez, France

8Petit Saint-Bernard: 7 races, up to 103 km with 6,700 m of climbing

On September 27, 2026, in the Haute-Tarentaise, starting from Seez. Here, the race names describe the terrain before the numbers do: Technitrail des Glaciers, 10 km de la Vallee des Glaciers and Verticale du Bonhomme. The massif links passes and glacial valleys, and that repeated pattern—climb to a pass, descend into a valley, climb again—explains the elevation gains that seem out of proportion to the distances.

Seven races are listed by elevation gain rather than distance: the Defi Ultra, 103 km with 6,700 m of elevation gain; the 68 km with about 4,000 m; the TMB, 43 km with 2,800 m; the Technitrail des Glaciers, 35 km with 2,700 m; the 21 km with 1,300 m; the 10 km de la Vallee des Glaciers; and the Verticale du Bonhomme, 5 km with 900 m of climbing. The 68 km starts at 6 a.m.

from the hamlet of Les Chapieux, in the municipality of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Bag checks open at 5:30 a.m.

for entry into the starting corral. A bag check at that hour means mandatory equipment is in place and will be inspected; the list belongs in the pre-race reading. On Saturday, the 43 km starts at 8 a.

m., the 35 km at 8:30, the 10 km at 10:30 and the vertical race at 10:45. The 21 km waits until Sunday at 8:30 a.

m. Altitude sets its own rules. In late September, temperatures drop sharply on these passes in the morning and evening.

Warm clothing belongs in the pack, not just food. Practical details: a medical certificate or license must be submitted by September 23; transfer of bib is possible until September 10; entry fees range from €20 to €130 depending on the race and registration date. A car is the practical option: Bourg-Saint-Maurice station is about 20 km away, and the seasonal pass shuttle stops running in early September, before race day.

Trail du Petit Saint-BernardSeptember 2027 · expected · Séez, FranceSee race details