Marathon de La Rochelle

Founded by local running figure Serge Vigot and officially known as the Marathon de La Rochelle – Serge Vigot, this is one of France's largest marathons after Paris, drawing roughly 9,000 marathon starters (about 16,000 across all events) to the Atlantic port city each late November. The 35th edition runs Sunday, November 29, 2026, with a 9:00am dual start from Quai Maubec and Quai Louis Durand. The course is a fast, quasi-flat two-loop route (two laps of about 21km) tracing the historic Vieux-Port and its three medieval towers (Tour de la Chaîne, Tour Saint-Nicolas, Tour de la Lanterne) along the Atlantic coastline, making it a favorite for personal bests — the men's course record of 2:07:13 has stood since 2011. The event also includes a 10km race, a duo marathon relay, a corporate relay challenge, and adaptive/handisport categories.