My marathons

Grand Raid de la Réunion

Run on 15 October 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Réunion
Cirque de Mafate
Cirque de Mafate. Photograph by User:Mamphi, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser gives the 2026 Diagonale des Fous as 180 km with 10,200 m of positive climb, a start at Saint-Pierre at 22:00 on 15 October and a 66 hour limit.

The course in short 2 lines
  • 180 km, 10,200 m up, 66 hours180 km, 10,200 m D+, 66 hours, Saint-Pierre to Saint-Denis.
  • No poles on the DiagonalePoles banned; head torch, 1.5 L water and rain jacket required.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradient180 km, 10,200 m up, 66 hours180 km, 10,200 m D+, 66 hours, Saint-Pierre to Saint-Denis.

The race starts in the dark in the south at Ravine Blanche in Saint-Pierre and finishes in Saint-Denis, crossing the UNESCO-listed national park of the island. It is one of five races in the Grand Raid and takes at most 3,000 runners.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsNo poles on the DiagonalePoles banned; head torch, 1.5 L water and rain jacket required.

The organiser also forbids reconnaissance runs between Bassin Plat and Piton Sec, which cross private land.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Race fuel for Réunion

One gel every 40 minutes once you are past about 75 minutes of running, plus a spare.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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race
Ultramarathon

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