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Abalone Marathon de Nantes
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Start
- 09:159:15 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon · 10K · Kids' race · Relay, from the race name, not from a published programme
- Time limit
- 5 h 45 min
The course
The marathon starts at the Nefs des Machines de l'Île and finishes at the Parc des Expositions de la Beaujoire, through the heart of Nantes and along the Erdre.
- From the Machines de l'Île to La BeaujoireStart at the Machines de l'Île, finish at La Beaujoire, 100% urban.
- The Traversante, a floating bridge on the ErdreA 324 m floating pontoon across the Erdre, then the finish at La Beaujoire.
- 235 m of climbing, as the organiser gives it235 m of climbing, the organiser's own figure, from OpenRunner.
Course notes 4 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryFrom the Machines de l'Île to La BeaujoireStart at the Machines de l'Île, finish at La Beaujoire, 100% urban.
The organiser describes a route that begins at the Machines de l’Île, runs through the places Graslin and Royale, the Parc de Procé, the Jardin des Plantes and the île de Versailles, and then follows the banks of the Erdre to the finish at the Parc des Expositions de La Beaujoire. In its words: “départ depuis le site emblématique des Machines de l’Île, passage par les places Graslin et Royale, le Parc de Procé, le Jardin des Plantes, l’île de Versailles et les magnifiques bords de l’Erdre”. It calls the course “100% urbain”.
That is the route as the organiser writes it for 2027. Its marathon course map for 2027 is marked as still to come (the 3D flyover on the page is of the 2025 course).
Sourced
Whole courseFinishThe Traversante, a floating bridge on the ErdreA 324 m floating pontoon across the Erdre, then the finish at La Beaujoire.
The organiser’s description of the finish: “À l’approche de l’arrivée, vous emprunterez la Traversante, un ponton flottant de 324 m de long, installé spécialement sur l’Erdre.” It calls it a singular experience in a green setting, before runners reach the finish line at the Parc des Expositions de La Beaujoire.
Sourced
Whole courseGradient235 m of climbing, as the organiser gives it235 m of climbing, the organiser's own figure, from OpenRunner.
The race’s homepage lists the marathon’s elevation as “D+ 235 M (SOURCE OPENRUNNER)”, that is, 235 m of climbing, with OpenRunner named as the source. The half marathon is listed at 115 m and the 10 km at 55 m from the same source.
Sourced
Whole courseConditionsA labelled qualifier with 7,000 bibsFFA Argent label, French Championships qualifier, 7,000 bibs, 5 h 45 limit.
The marathon page lists the “Label FFA Argent” and calls the race a “Marathon qualificatif pour les Championnats de France”. The 2027 entry is “Limité à 7000 dossards”, and the marathon page says it filled in 2026 (“Record d’inscriptions, le Marathon affiche complet pour l’édition 2026”). The time limit is 5h45, with aid every 5 km and at the finish, and the clock shown at the half, at km 30 and at the finish.
Sourced
Race weekend
Saturday 24 April The day before
-
21:309:30 PM
Foulées de l'éléphant 10 km start Nefs des Machines de l'Île. Saturday night 10 km from the same start site as Sunday's races.
Sunday 25 April Race day
-
09:159:15 AM
Marathon start Nefs des Machines de l'Île. Start time as published on the organiser's marathon page for 25 April 2027. The company relay (teams of four) starts with the marathon. -
Time not published
Overall time limit 5 h 45 for the marathon, which the rules express as a minimum average pace of 8 minutes 10 seconds per kilometre. The broom bike marks the official end of the race; runners it passes are out of the race. 5:45 limit: 8:10/km for 42.195 km5:45 limit: 13:09/mi for 26.2 mi
Cut-offs and other races (6)
-
08:008:00 AM
Half marathon start Nefs des Machines de l'Île. Sunday morning, one hour and fifteen minutes before the marathon. -
Time not published
Cut-off at 5 km 41 minutes of running time, from the organiser's 2027 rules. Applies to the half marathon and the marathon. 0:41 limit: 8:12/km for 5 km0:41 limit: 13:11/mi for 3.1 mi -
Time not published
Cut-off at 10 km 1 h 22, from the organiser's 2027 rules. Applies to the half marathon and the marathon. 1:22 limit: 8:12/km for 10 km1:22 limit: 13:11/mi for 6.2 mi -
Time not published
Cut-off at 15 km 2 h 03, from the organiser's 2027 rules. Applies to the half marathon and the marathon. 2:03 limit: 8:12/km for 15 km2:03 limit: 13:11/mi for 9.3 mi -
Time not published
Cut-off at the half-way point 2 h 52, marathon only, from the organiser's 2027 rules. 2:52 limit: 8:09/km for 21.1 km2:52 limit: 13:07/mi for 13.1 mi -
Time not published
Cut-off at 30 km 4 h 05, marathon only, from the organiser's 2027 rules. 4:05 limit: 8:10/km for 30 km4:05 limit: 13:08/mi for 18.6 mi
Times as published by the organiser, in Nantes time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Nantes time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Nantes, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
For your long training runs:
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. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
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, 8 ml
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.
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Number belt
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.
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Electrolytes
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.
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Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
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.
Questions about the Abalone Marathon de Nantes
- When is the Abalone Marathon de Nantes 2027?
- Sunday 25 April 2027. The start is at 09:15.
- What is the time limit at the Abalone Marathon de Nantes?
- Runners have 5 h 45 min to finish.
- Where does the Abalone Marathon de Nantes start?
- Start: Nefs des Machines de l'Île.
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