10 Half Marathons in France You'll Love Running
10 Half Marathons in France You'll Love Running
From Paris to Saint-Tropez to Nice to Chantilly to Saumur to Normandy to Médoc
Semi de Paris
Paris, France | Sunday, March 3, 2024
More than 40,000 runners take to the streets of Paris every year for this race, whose middle miles unfold through the Bois de Vincennes, the city’s largest public park. From the starting line in Paris on the Quais d’Austerlitz, the course runs past Notre Dame cathedral, Place de la Bastille and for long stretches along the Seine. The race’s fast, flat route makes it perfect for setting a new PR.
Marathon du Golfe de Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez, France | Sunday, March 24, 2024
Once-in-a-lifetime, stunningly beautiful, an experience to treasure for the rest of your life — all these superlatives probably still can’t quite describe this race through this coastal town on the French Riviera, along a marathon route that will take you from Sainte-Maxime to Cavalaire-sur-Mer, “combining the seaside, vineyards, hills and scrubland,” of this town known for its beautiful beaches and nightlife.
Marathon de Paris
Paris, France | April 7, 2024
A running/sight-seeing tour of many of the most famous spots in Paris, including stretches that run past the Eiffel Tower, Rue de Rivoli, Notre Dame cathedral, down the Champs Elysées and through the expanse of the Bois de Vincennes, as well as past the Musée d'Orsay before you cross the finish line in front of the Arc de Triomphe. This is a big, popular race — tens of thousands of runners come out to run the Paris city streets as part of it each year — so sign up as early as possible if you’re interested.
Nice International Half Marathon
Nice, France | Sunday, April 21, 2024
Run the famous Promenade des Anglais here in this breathtakingly beautiful city on the French Riviera, situated near the base of the French Alps and overlooking the Mediterranean. With its “shore and sea course, city and port passage,” as organizers describe it, you’ll run along city streets and the seashore, taking in its palm trees, fountains, gorgeous hotels and downtown art installations, and past the Théâtre de Verdure, an outdoor theater in the Promenade des Anglais.
Marathon de la Loire
Saumur, France | Sunday, May 5, 2024
A gorgeous, scenic run through the heart of France’s Loire Valley, sometimes called the “Garden of France” thanks to its vineyards and farmland, as well as the castles that dot the landscape along the Loire River. You’ll run along a combination of paved roads and riverside trails, and over bridges that cross the river, as well as villages and farms just outside Saumur, where the race starts and finishes. If you like, you can combine the run with a canoe race on the river, in either the full or the half marathon.
D-Day Landings Marathon
Courseulles-sur-Mer, France | Sunday, June 2, 2024
Begun as a way to help commemorate the D-Day landings of Allied forces in Normandy back during World War II, this race spends most of the first half of its full marathon route running alongside the shoreline where U.S. and allied forces came ashore some 80 years ago — which is why the event bills itself as a run “in the footsteps of heroes.” The race begins in the seaside village of Courseulles-sur-Mer and unfolds along the beach for the first 16 kilometers, and later finishes at Stade Hélitas in Caen, and is one of the most scenic in France, organizers say.
Château de Chantilly Marathon + Half
Chantilly, France | Sunday, June 9, 2024
Part of a race series on the grounds and surrounding lands of castles in the U.K., Ireland and France, this gorgeous half marathon actually runs about 40 miles outside Paris, starting from the Chateau de Chantilly gardens. From there, you’ll run through more parks and gardens as well as around the world-famous Hippodrome de Chantilly horse-racing track, before crossing the finish line back at the chateau — once the home of Henri de Orleans, the son of the last king of France. You can choose among the full marathon, half marathon or 10K.
Marathon du Médoc
Pauillac, France | Saturday, September 7, 2024
A running event that, according to the Guardian, combines “wine, sports, fun and health — which seems to actively encourage anything that’s normally discouraged in running. Held every September in France’s Médoc region, this sounds like the most idiotic race known to man. The course is 26.2 miles through scenic vineyards and the participants – in compulsory fancy dress - are expected to indulge in 23 glasses of the famed vintages en route, while also stuffing themselves with local specialities such as oysters, foie gras, cheese, steak and ice-cream. Brilliant.” Sounds like… an adventure, if nothing else, right?
Semi-Marathon du Bois de Vincennes
Paris, France | Sunday, October 27, 2024
An autumn bookend to Paris’s hugely popular springtime 13.1-miler, this half marathon unfolds almost entirely within the Bois de Vincennes, the city’s largest public park and sometimes called the “eastern lung” of Paris thanks to its location on the city’s eastern edge. Its layout and design date back to the 12th century, while the 14th-century Chateau de Vincennes served as a royal residence for five centuries — and you’ll finish the race in front of the castle.
Marathon des Alpes Maritimes Nice-Cannes
Nice, France | Sunday, November 3, 2024
A stunning, gorgeous, once-in-a-lifetime run almost entirely along the Mediterranean coast of this city on the French Riviera, along a route that begins in Nice in front of the Promenade du Paillon and unfolds west along the sea, ending in Cannes (yes, that Cannes, the home of the famous annual film festival). Along the way, you’ll be treated to views of the ocean, plentiful palm trees, and the sights of each city.
