My marathons

Grand Raid des Pyrénées

Run on 22 August 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Vielle-Aure
Néouvielle massif
Néouvielle massif. Photograph by Philippe Garcelon, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 2026 Tour des Lacs was about 80 km with 5,100 m of climbing, starting on Saturday at 5:00 from the square in Vielle-Aure.

The course in short 2 lines
  • 80 km and 5,100 m of climbing from Vielle-AureAbout 80 km and 5,100 m of climbing, starting from Vielle-Aure at 5:00 on the Saturday.
  • Over the Col de Portet, the Néouvielle and the Pic du MidiCol de Portet, Col de Bastanet, Pic du Midi de Bigorre, Hourquette Nère, then down to Vielle-Aure.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
km 0 to 80Gradient80 km and 5,100 m of climbing from Vielle-AureAbout 80 km and 5,100 m of climbing, starting from Vielle-Aure at 5:00 on the Saturday.

The organiser’s page for the 2026 Tour des Lacs gives a start at 5:00 on Saturday from the square in Vielle-Aure, about 80 kilometres and 5,100 metres of climbing. The best could finish in under 10 hours, and the time limit lets the last runners finish in under 25 hours. The route reaches 2,877 m at the summit of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre.

Sourced

km 0 to 80GeometryOver the Col de Portet, the Néouvielle and the Pic du MidiCol de Portet, Col de Bastanet, Pic du Midi de Bigorre, Hourquette Nère, then down to Vielle-Aure.

Runners climb first on roads, then on ski slopes, to the Col de Portet, pass the Merlans aid station and enter the Néouvielle area at the Col de Bastanet. The long climb to the Col de Sencours leads to the summit of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, and on the way back the route passes Tournaboup and returns to the Néouvielle by the Aygues Cluses aid station and the Hourquette Nère. A long descent to the Lac de l’Oule and the Bastanet fir forest comes before a last climb to the Col de Portet and the final descent by the Cap de Pède to Vielle-Aure. The organiser warns that many sections are mountain paths where running is difficult, notably around the Néouvielle, the Col de Bastanet and the Hourquette Nère.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Race fuel for Vielle-Aure

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.

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.

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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.

Get it on Amazon

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