My marathons

Marathon de la Liberté

Start 09:109:10 AM Caen, France

The Marathon de la Liberté is a course of 42.2 km with 88.7 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 1 m and its highest 60 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 13 June 2027, starting at 09:10.

Abbaye aux Hommes
Abbaye aux Hommes. Photograph by Viault, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Race day
The 2027 race
Start
09:109:10 AM
Distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
Marathon · Half marathon · 10K · Relay
Total climb
88.7 m291 ft
Highest point 59 m194 ft above lowest
Entry fee
€74
For the 2027 race
Time limit
5 h 30 min

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

The first 22 km stay within a few metres of sea level, then the road climbs to its high point of 60 m at km 37.8.

StartFinish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

km 21.7mile 13.5

Pegasus Bridge

The organiser names Pegasus Bridge among the D-Day sites the marathon passes, which the 2026 course reaches around km 21.7.

Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30

Cut-off, km 10mile 6.2
Cut-off, km 20mile 12.4
Cut-off, km 30mile 18.6
Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 1 and 60 metres, a range of 59 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there. The dashed stretches are bridge decks: (unnamed span), km 23.6 to 23.8. A bare-earth model reads the ground or the water beneath a bridge, not the deck the runner is on, so those runs are interpolated between the ground either side rather than measured, and they under-report the real climb across a span. Marked points: Cut-off at km 10; Cut-off at km 20; Cut-off at km 30.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

Dashed: bridge

Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

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  • Sea level for half the race, then a long climbFlat along the coast to halfway, then a steady climb to 60 m before a downhill finish.
  • From Courseulles-sur-Mer to the centre of CaenA point-to-point through 17 historic towns, from the Juno Beach coast to the centre of Caen.
  • Downhill into CaenThe last 4 km drop from 60 m to the finish in central Caen.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GradientSea level for half the race, then a long climbFlat along the coast to halfway, then a steady climb to 60 m before a downhill finish.

From Courseulles-sur-Mer the road runs inland along the coast, and until about km 22 it sits between 1 and 9 m above sea level. The lowest point is 1.2 m at km 21.1, and by km 25 the road has risen to 26 m.

The climb is gradual and comes late: 33 m at km 30, 56 m at km 35 and the high point of 60 m at km 37.8. The organiser quotes 110 m of climbing for the marathon, while the road itself gains 89 m; a watch counts every short rise, so figures differ. This is the 2026 course; the organiser says the finish line moves in 2027.

Measured

km 0 to 42.2LandmarkFrom Courseulles-sur-Mer to the centre of CaenA point-to-point through 17 historic towns, from the Juno Beach coast to the centre of Caen.

The organiser describes the D-Day Landings Marathon as a tour of the key sites of the landings and the Battle of Normandy: Juno and Sword Beaches, the Ouistreham Casino and Pegasus Bridge. It runs from Courseulles-sur-Mer to the centre of Caen and crosses 17 historic towns.

On the 2026 course Pegasus Bridge comes at about km 21.7, close to halfway. The organiser says the finish line gets a makeover in 2027.

Sourced

km 37.8 to 42.2FinishDownhill into CaenThe last 4 km drop from 60 m to the finish in central Caen.

The high point of the course is at km 37.8, 60 m above sea level. From there it is downhill to the finish: the road is at 24 m by km 40 and about 7 m at the end. The 2026 course passes the Abbey of Saint-Étienne, the Abbaye aux Hommes, at about km 41.5 and the castle ramparts near km 40.7.

The organiser says the finish line moves in 2027, so the last kilometre may change.

Measured

Race weekend

Bib pickup at Parc des Expositions de Caen, rue Joseph Philippon

Friday 11 June Bib pickup

  1. 14:002:00 PM–20:008:00 PM

    Bib collection Parc des Expositions de Caen, rue Joseph Philippon. Marathon Expo. In person only, with a valid ID and the race number from the runner's account.

Saturday 12 June Last bib day

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–19:007:00 PM

    Bib collection Parc des Expositions de Caen, rue Joseph Philippon. Marathon Expo. In person only, with a valid ID and the race number from the runner's account.

Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.

Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link

Sunday 13 June Race day

  1. 06:306:30 AM–07:307:30 AM

    Free shuttle buses to the start Cours Général Koenig, Caen. Free buses to Courseulles-sur-Mer, run with Keolis. Free parking at the Parc des Expositions de Caen from 10 to 13 June.

  2. 09:109:10 AM

    Marathon start Courseulles-sur-Mer. Start corrals by expected finish time, from the elite and priority bibs to 3:00, 3:15 and on to 4:30 and over.

  3. Time not published

    Marathon time limit 5 hours 30 minutes for the full distance. Other checkpoints: 15 km in 2:00, 25 km in 3:18, 35 km in 4:35. 5:30 limit: 7:49/km for 42.195 km5:30 limit: 12:35/mi for 26.2 mi

  4. Time not published

    Bag drop at the start Courseulles-sur-Mer. A truck takes bags at the start (maximum 45 x 35 x 20 cm) and hands them back at the finish (Avenue Albert Sorel in 2026, a new finish area in 2027).
Cut-offs (3)

  1. Time not published

    10 km checkpoint Runners must pass 10 km in under 1:20. 1:20 limit: 8:00/km for 10 km1:20 limit: 12:52/mi for 6.2 mi

  2. Time not published

    20 km checkpoint Runners must pass 20 km in under 2:40. 2:40 limit: 8:00/km for 20 km2:40 limit: 12:52/mi for 12.4 mi

  3. Time not published

    30 km checkpoint Runners must pass 30 km in under 3:56. 3:56 limit: 7:52/km for 30 km3:56 limit: 12:39/mi for 18.6 mi

Times as published by the organiser, in Caen time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Caen time

Entry

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.

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Caen, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

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

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

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
A small balm stick
Illustration · drag to turn

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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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.

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Blister plasters
A pack of blister plasters
Illustration · drag to turn

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 Marathon de la Liberté

Is the Marathon de la Liberté course flat?
Not entirely. It has 88.7 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 59 m above the lowest.
When is the Marathon de la Liberté 2027?
Sunday 13 June 2027. The start is at 09:10.
How do I enter the Marathon de la Liberté?
Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: €74 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
What is the time limit at the Marathon de la Liberté?
Runners have 5 h 30 min to finish.
Where does the Marathon de la Liberté start?
Start: Courseulles-sur-Mer.
Runner talk Questions, tips and race reports from other runners about the course and the city.

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