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Le Lion
The Le Lion is a course of 21.1 km with 55.8 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 317 m and its highest 362 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 26 September 2027.
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon
- Total climb
- 55.8 m183 ft
- Highest point 45 m148 ft above lowest
- Time limit
- 3 hours
- In 2026
The course
Pick a place, or drag along the profileThe half marathon starts at about 318 m in Montbéliard and finishes at about 361 m in Belfort, with 55.8 m of climbing over the whole distance.
StartFinish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Photo: Jean-Christophe BENOIST, CC BY 3.0
km 21.1mile 13.1
Lion of Belfort
The organiser says every runner is carried to the finish line in Belfort facing Bartholdi's Lion, with more than 20,000 spectators.
Photo: Jean-Christophe BENOIST, CC BY 3.0
Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30
0 5 10 15 20 km
0 5 10 13.1 mi
Dashed: bridge
Your 2 gels, at the orange marksFor a 1:55 finish, one every 40 minutes
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
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- From Montbéliard up to Belfort, 55.8 m of climbingStart 318 m, finish 361 m, 55.8 m of climbing in all.
- Gold label, so the course keeps going uphillGold label for 2026, so the course stays uphill from Montbéliard to Belfort.
- A band every kilometre over the last 13 and a finish facing the LionAn orchestra each kilometre in the last 13, finish facing the Lion in Belfort.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 21.1GradientFrom Montbéliard up to Belfort, 55.8 m of climbingStart 318 m, finish 361 m, 55.8 m of climbing in all.
The lowest point is 316.7 m at 0.8 km and the highest is 362.0 m at 20.5 km. The road is at about 337 m at 9 km and 12 km, then climbs again to 353 m by 18 km before the finish. The organiser has kept the uphill direction, Montbéliard to Belfort, for 2026.
Measured
km 0 to 21.1TacticsGold label, so the course keeps going uphillGold label for 2026, so the course stays uphill from Montbéliard to Belfort.
The organiser puts the race record at 59:53, held by Kelvin Kiptum, and 3,200 entries in 2025 as the largest field so far. The 2026 edition was the 41st.
Sourced
km 8 to 21.1CrowdA band every kilometre over the last 13 and a finish facing the LionAn orchestra each kilometre in the last 13, finish facing the Lion in Belfort.
The 2026 edition counted 14 orchestras along the course across all races. Refreshment stations stood at 6, 10 and 15 km and at the finish, with water points at 8, 12 and 17 km. The 2026 time limit for the half marathon was 3:00.
Sourced
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for Belfort, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
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.
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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.
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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Questions about the Le Lion
- Is the Le Lion course flat?
- Not entirely. It has 55.8 m of climbing over 21.1 km. The highest point is 45 m above the lowest. It finishes 44 m higher than it starts.
- When is the Le Lion 2027?
- Sunday 26 September 2027.
- What is the time limit at the Le Lion?
- In 2026 runners had 3 hours to finish.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Le Lion.
