My marathons

Volvic Volcanic Expérience

08:008:00 AM Le Lioran
Volvic
Volvic. Photograph by Matthieu Perona, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 46 km Expérience Impluvium de Volvic trail circles the protected impluvium that feeds Volvic mineral water, in the north of the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne.

The course in short 2 lines
  • The 46 km trail around the Volvic impluvium46 km, 1,300 m up, 1,500 runners, around the Volvic impluvium.
  • Three days in the Ascension weekend6 to 8 May 2027: trails of 17, 46, 115 and 21 km, plus a walk.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
km 0 to 46LandmarkThe 46 km trail around the Volvic impluvium46 km, 1,300 m up, 1,500 runners, around the Volvic impluvium.

The 2027 trail is 46 km with 1,300 m of climbing and 4 aid stations, for up to 1,500 runners, leaving the Goulet at 8:00 on Friday 7 May. It runs around the impluvium of Volvic, the protected natural zone that gives birth to the mineral water of the same name, with views of the Chaîne des Puys.

Sourced

km 0 to 46LandmarkThree days in the Ascension weekend6 to 8 May 2027: trails of 17, 46, 115 and 21 km, plus a walk.

The 2027 programme starts with the 17 km Pierre de Lave trail on Thursday 6 May. Friday 7 May has the 46 km Impluvium de Volvic trail and the 115 km Chaîne des Puys-Faille de Limagne trail. Saturday 8 May has the 21 km Chemin des Batignolles heritage trail and a 14.1 km walk, the Rando Gastro.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

6 gels for Le Lioran, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

Over this distance most runners mix in real food at the aid stations; the gels cover the hours between.

  1. km 6.9mile 4.3
  2. km 13.9mile 8.6
  3. km 20.8mile 12.9
  4. km 27.8mile 17.3
  5. km 34.7mile 21.6
  6. km 41.7mile 25.9

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.

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
46.0 km28.6 mi

Race week

Timetable

Friday 7 May Race day

  1. 08:008:00 AM

    Expérience Impluvium de Volvic trail (46 km) start at the Goulet The 46 km trail leaves from the Goulet site in Volvic on Friday 7 May 2027.

Times as published by the organiser, in Le Lioran time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Le Lioran 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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