My marathons

Lyon Urban Trail

07:007:00 AM Lyon
Place des Terreaux
Place des Terreaux. Photograph by Corentin Eustacchi, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser describes the 38 km as a trail across Lyon, Caluire-et-Cuire and Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, over both of Lyon's hills and along its two rivers.

The course in short 3 lines
  • A 38 km trail inside three townsThree towns, two hills, two rivers.
  • About 1,400 m up and downAround 1,400 m of climb and descent.
  • Sold out in 2025, 12,000 places for 20269,500 started in 2025; the 2026 cap was 12,000.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryA 38 km trail inside three townsThree towns, two hills, two rivers.

The start is at Quai Fulchiron at 07:00 on Sunday 4 April 2027. The organiser counts about 6,000 steps of stairs and some 20 little-known parks or green spaces on the route, with 5 to 10 crossings of notable sites depending on the edition.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientAbout 1,400 m up and downAround 1,400 m of climb and descent.

The organiser calls it one of the only long-distance urban trails in France. The 38 km was cut down from the original 40 km, which the organisers first drew from stair sessions in the Croix-Rousse.

Sourced

Whole courseCrowdSold out in 2025, 12,000 places for 20269,500 started in 2025; the 2026 cap was 12,000.

The first edition in November 2008 started from the Parc de la Tête d’Or with 2,000 runners. The 2026 edition was held on Sunday 29 March, and the 19th edition is on 3 and 4 April 2027.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

No gel needed at this pace

Finish

Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.

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.

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
12.0 km7.5 mi

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 4 April Race day

  1. 07:007:00 AM

    38 km start Quai Fulchiron

Times as published by the organiser, in Lyon time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Lyon time

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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