pacertrip.

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONFR / RACE GUIDE

Trail du Grand Ballon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Oderen
FR

0x010C, CC BY-SA 4.00x010C, CC BY-SA 4.0Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0

Race date in 194 days: Apr 24, 2027 Sat
City · Distance: Oderen · 75km · 62km · 48km +4 more events
Entry fee: Fee TBDVaries by event and entry period
Status: SoonTue, February 2, 2027 ~ TBDSee how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 12, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

A trail race held in Grand Ballon, France.

Entry fee is donated to an organization supporting local children with disabilities and their families, whose members also volunteer at the race.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 3

TinyOwl491Ran in 2026 · Finish time 4:35:36

“And I finally made it to the finish!”

Starting at Le Markstein, the runner climbed for more than three hours after a long descent on the 27.9 km course, held on through the final stairs, and finished in 4:35:36.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

En ik was er, eindelijk!

Read the original on Reddit r/Hardlopen

Audrey ConteRan in 2026 · Finish time 14:00

“I started from the back, hoping to pass time limit this time.”

Audrey Conte took part in the 2026 Grand Ballon 80 km, experiencing hot weather and a shortage of water at the aid stations later in the race. She finished in 14 hours and placed 313th out of 416 participants.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

Je pars derrière, en espérant que les barrières horaires passeront cette fois.

Read the original on SGH Athlétisme

RuudRan in 2017 · Finish time 5:40:00

“I was happy to return after completing the 34 km in 5 hours 40 minutes.”

Ruud took on a 10K climb and sections of snow and mud at the 2017 Trail du Grand Ballon 34K course. He praised the varied food and friendly volunteers at the aid stations and finished the 34K in 5:40:00.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

Ik was dan ook blij om na 34km en 5u40' terug binnen te zijn.

Read the original on The Happy Trailrunner

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Marathon Du Grand Ballon - Why I Quit...

Go For A Run

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

We'll fill this in once the official entry rules are out.

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 75km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 11:30

Event	Start
Half21.0975km	13:00
Trail	11:30

City center · not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet. The map shows the host city.

START

Le Markstein, approximately 1,183 m above sea level

FINISH

Hôtel Wolf, Markstein

Finish · Google Maps

Set against the slopes of Grand Ballon, the highest peak in the Vosges,

this trail event starts in the ski village of Le Markstein (around 1,183 m above sea level) and offers seven distances from 21 km to 75 km.

It is the spring edition of a series held in two seasons, spring (April) and summer (July),

and is regarded as a major mountain trail event in Alsace, attracting more than 6,000 runners per edition.

What has long defined the event is less course itself than its charity work.

In the surrounding area, including Oderen, the host location for the 2027 event,

part of the entry fees and donations from participants are donated to Les Amis de Luisa, a local association supporting children with disabilities.

The association was founded by Luisa's parents to support her after she was born in 2008 and lost her motor skills and memory the following year due to herpes encephalitis.

Its members also take part directly as volunteers on race day.

The 2025 edition reportedly raised a record €8,000 for the charity.

Because it is a mountain course featuring forest trails and ridge climbs and descents,

the field ranges from runners taking on the short 21 km course to those tackling the 75 km ultra.

Registration is handled through the Passion For Sports platform operated by Trailrun.be.

Typical race-season temperature: around 9°C (47°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers

Participant benefits

Finisher medal

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

Pick up your bib at the expo

Hôtel Wolf, Markstein

Google Maps Directions

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startNone directly — no train/bus reaches the Markstein summit venue

Source · checked Aug 23, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

None directly — no train/bus reaches the Markstein summit venue

Despite the race being registered under Oderen (Haut-Rhin), the actual start/finish for all distances is at Le Markstein mountain pass (~1,154-1,183m altitude), opposite the Hôtel Wolf — not in Oderen village itself. no explicit 2027 date was found.

Labeled 'per prior edition 2026' since only the year differs.

Map

Getting to the finish

Same as start — Le Markstein

Finish is co-located with the start at Markstein.

Map

Start shuttle

Organizer runs free shuttle buses between the valley town of Willer-sur-Thur and the Markstein summit: up before the race (7:45am, arriving 8:30am) and back down after (12:30pm and 1:15pm).

Source · checked Aug 23, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

Registration reportedly opens 48 hours early to members on February 2, 2027, approximately two months before the event, and then opens to non-members.

Annual membership can be selected at a cost of €10 to €25, while options such as an additional finisher medal (€5) and a commemorative T-shirt (€28.95) can be added separately during registration.

Applicants can also choose to donate between €1 and €40 to Les Amis de Luisa.

With distances ranging from 21 km to 75 km, the time limit and aid station arrangements vary by distance.

For safety, check the official event website for the detailed schedule and mandatory equipment list for each category.

Times are local to Oderen. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Auberge Du Mehrbachel

Hotel · 3.7km

8.9/10(240)

View on Booking.com

Swiss Travel Pass: Unlimited Train, Bus and Boat Travel (3–15 Days)

₩412,336

Trail du Grand Ballon

About Trail du Grand Ballon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run