Marathon de Nantes

Founded in 1981 by the athletics section of the Nantes Étudiants Club (first edition run on 16 May 1981 with 104 finishers), the Marathon de Nantes has grown into one of France's oldest and largest marathons — the 44th edition in April 2026 was among the top 5 largest marathons in the country, with the full weekend of races (marathon, semi-marathon, 10K, and corporate relay) drawing over 20,000 participants. The event currently races under the title-sponsor name "Abalone Marathon de Nantes" (Abalone Emploi, a French staffing/recruitment group); the sponsor name is not long-standing enough to anchor the record, so this listing uses the sponsor-neutral "Marathon de Nantes". Note on naming: this race is sometimes confused with "Marathon Vert" — that is a distinct, unrelated event held in Rennes (run by Le Marathon Vert Rennes Groupe Interaction), not an alternate name for the Nantes race. The Nantes marathon is, however, an environmentally engaged event in its own right: it signed France's Charter of 15 Eco-responsible Commitments (Ministry of Sports / WWF) in 2019. The course is a 100% urban route through Nantes' historic core, starting at Les Machines de l'Île and finishing at the Parc des Expositions de la Beaujoire, passing landmarks including Place Graslin, Place Royale, Parc de Procé, the Jardin des Plantes, the banks of the Erdre (crossed via a floating footbridge added in 2025), and the Quai de Versailles. Race day cutoff is 5 hours 45 minutes. The 2026 edition (25–26 April 2026) sold out across every distance — organizers reported a registration record. No date has yet been announced for the 2027 (45th) edition; the organizer is only collecting email signups for priority notification ahead of registration opening.