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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Marathon de La Rochelle
The Marathon de La Rochelle is a course of 42.2 km with 89.6 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 2 m and its highest 22 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 29 November 2026, starting at 09:00.
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2026 race
- Start
- 09:009:00 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · 10K · Relay
- Total climb
- 89.6 m294 ft
- Highest point 20 m66 ft above lowest
- Entry fee
- €58
- For the 2026 race
- Time limit
- 5 h 30 min
The course
Pick a place, or drag along the profileThe marathon is built as two loops and started at 9:00 from two quays, the Quai Maubec and the Quai Louis Durand.
StartFinish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Photo: Jebulon, CC0
- Photo: Jebulon, CC0
km 41.8mile 26
Grosse Horloge
The course passes within 50 m of the Grosse Horloge in the last kilometre, with a giant screen by the Duperré statue close by.
Photo: Jebulon, CC0
km 42.1mile 26.1
Tour de la Chaîne
The free finish stand is reached only through the Tour de la Chaîne, at the end of the course.
Photo: Jebulon, CC0
Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30
Cut-off, km 30mile 18.6
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi
Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
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- Two loops of one city circuit, with a double startTwo loops, so spectators see runners twice. Two starts, at 9:00.
- Almost flat, and the high point comes twiceA fast, flat marathon; the one high point is the same place on each loop.
- A finish beside La Rochelle's towersFinish by the towers, with a free stand and a meeting point for family.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GeometryTwo loops of one city circuit, with a double startTwo loops, so spectators see runners twice. Two starts, at 9:00.
The organiser builds the marathon as two loops, so that spectators stay in one part of town and the encouragement never stops. Runners in the Duo relay each run one loop. At 9:00 the field goes off in two groups, one from the Quai Maubec and one from the Quai Louis Durand, each held in four pens and joining up after 610 m, which the organiser says helps the record attempts.
The course is the organiser’s 2026 file for the 35th edition, run on 29 November 2026. Its start and finish are a little over 600 m apart.
Sourced
km 0 to 42.2GradientAlmost flat, and the high point comes twiceA fast, flat marathon; the one high point is the same place on each loop.
La Rochelle is low-lying, and no part of the course is above 22.0 m. From the start at about 5 m the road stays between 3 and 8 m for the first 8 km, climbs to the course’s high point of 22.0 m at km 11.5, and is back below 8 m by km 13.6. The second loop repeats the shape: 22.0 m again at km 32.4, and a finish at 1.7 m.
Counted over a 1 km window the race climbs 89.6 m. The organiser’s own figure is about 120 m of cumulative climb (“environ 120m de dénivelé cumulé”); a 1 km window counts only the sustained rises, not every short one a watch adds up, so the two are not the same measurement.
Measured
km 42 to 42.2FinishA finish beside La Rochelle's towersFinish by the towers, with a free stand and a meeting point for family.
The finish is on the Esplanade Saint-Jean-d’Acre, beside La Rochelle’s best-known towers. Spectators can sit in the free stand of 500 places in the finish area, which is reached only through the Tour de la Chaîne. Outside the finish area, in the rue de la Monnaie, columns named after the islands of Ré, Oléron and Aix mark where friends and family meet the runners.
Sourced
Race weekend
Bib pickup at Village Marathon, Espace Encan, Quai Louis PrunierFriday 27 November Bib pickup
-
15:003:00 PM–20:008:00 PM
Bib pickup Village Marathon, Espace Encan, Quai Louis Prunier. Bibs are handed over at the Village only: none on Sunday morning and none sent by post. Bring the pickup voucher and ID.
Saturday 28 November Last bib day
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09:009:00 AM–20:008:00 PM
Bib pickup Village Marathon, Espace Encan, Quai Louis Prunier. The organiser advises against Saturday afternoon, when the queue is longest. -
Time not published
Pasta Party Centre de congrès Georges Pernoud. The evening before the race, 14 euros adult and 8 euros child, 900 places, booked through the online entry file. The organiser publishes no start time. Free shuttles run between the Espace Encan and the congress centre.
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 29 November Race day
-
09:009:00 AM
Marathon start Quai Maubec and Quai Louis Durand. A double start at 9:00. Start 1, Quai Maubec: Seniors, Masters 0 and 1. Start 2, Quai Louis Durand: Masters 2 to 10 and the Duo relay. Each has four pens, set by the time target given at entry. -
15:003:00 PM
Prize giving Espace Encan, Quai Louis Prunier -
Time not published
Overall time limit 5 hours 30 minutes to finish. After that, safety is no longer provided and runners are put out of the race. 5:30 limit: 7:49/km for 42.195 km5:30 limit: 12:35/mi for 26.2 mi
Cut-offs and other races (2)
-
08:458:45 AM
10 km start Avenue du Général Leclerc -
Time not published
Cut-off at 30 km Passing time limit at the 30th kilometre: 4 hours. 4:00 limit: 8:00/km for 30 km4:00 limit: 12:52/mi for 18.6 mi
Times as published by the organiser, in La Rochelle time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
Add to calendar .ics file, times in La Rochelle time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for La Rochelle, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. La Rochelle stays within 20 m66 ft of height, so they go by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
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.
Order by 8 November to test them on two long runs first.
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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.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
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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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
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.
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 Rochelle
- Is the Marathon de La Rochelle course flat?
- Not entirely. It has 89.6 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 20 m above the lowest.
- When is the Marathon de La Rochelle 2026?
- Sunday 29 November 2026. The start is at 09:00.
- How do I enter the Marathon de La Rochelle?
- Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: €58 (for the 2026 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
- What is the time limit at the Marathon de La Rochelle?
- Runners have 5 h 30 min to finish.
- Where does the Marathon de La Rochelle start?
- Start: Quai Maubec and Quai Louis Durand.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Marathon de La Rochelle.
