My marathons

10 et 20 km de Tours

Tours
Place Plumereau
Place Plumereau. Photograph by Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

On the 2026 marathon course the Côte des Pelus is a 671 m climb at 6.55% on average, with 50 m at 20%, and the whole course has 276 m of ascent and descent.

The course in short 3 lines
  • One steep climb at RochecorbonA 671 m hill at Rochecorbon, then the vineyards.
  • Vineyards, a château and the LoireJallanges, Vouvray, Rochecorbon, then back over the Loire.
  • Six hours, with gates at 21 km and 30 kmGates after 3 h at 21 km and 5 h at 30 km.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientOne steep climb at RochecorbonA 671 m hill at Rochecorbon, then the vineyards.

After about 5 km of flat straight road along the Quai Paul Bert, the course reaches Rochecorbon and the Côte des Pelus: 671 m long, 6.55% on average and 20% for 50 m. The organiser advises slowing down on it. It then eases across the vineyard plateaus, with about 4 km to recover between km 6 and km 11. The course described is the 2026 one, a new route that year; the organiser gives 276 m of ascent and descent for it.

Sourced

Whole courseLandmarkVineyards, a château and the LoireJallanges, Vouvray, Rochecorbon, then back over the Loire.

The route runs through the grounds of the Château de Jallanges, then down about 5 km before the Brenne greenway. Refreshments stand at Vernou-sur-Brenne at km 20 and at La Guinguette de Rochecorbon at km 30. The Pont Mirabeau crossing comes just before km 35. The last 7 km are in historic Tours, past the Grand Théâtre, Place Jean-Jaurès, Avenue de Grammont, the Jardin des Prébendes d’Oé and the Tour Charlemagne, finishing on rue des Tanneurs and Place Anatole France.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsSix hours, with gates at 21 km and 30 kmGates after 3 h at 21 km and 5 h at 30 km.

Runners who pass a gate late are taken off the course and returned to the start by the organiser. The 20 km has a 3 hour limit and the 10 km 2 hours. The next edition is on Sunday 26 September 2027.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Tours, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
6:00 h

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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