Montpellier Run Festival
The Lowdown
The Montpellier Run Festival is a two-day running weekend in the heart of Montpellier, Occitanie, built around the historic Marathon de Montpellier. The marathon starts and finishes near the Promenade du Peyrou, tracing two 21.1 km loops through the Ecusson old town, past the Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier (France's oldest botanical garden, founded in 1593), Place de la Comédie, the Antigone and Grammont districts, and the vineyards of Domaine de Verchant, before finishing at the Arc de Triomphe. The course is largely flat with about 225 meters of total elevation gain over two loops. The same weekend also hosts a semi-marathon, 10K, 5K, a 42.2 km Ekiden team relay, and children's races, plus a free outdoor concert at the race village on Saturday evening. Roughly 15,000 runners take part across all distances, with the marathon itself capped near 1,500 entrants. Montpellier Run Festival is the rebranded continuation of the Marathon de Montpellier, which reached its 13th edition in 2024 before adopting the festival format.
Race Day
Weather Forecast
Elevation
Terrain Profile
Relatively flat course
Participants
Field Size
Medium-sized race
Crowd Rating
Spectator Support
Good crowd energy
Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier (France's oldest botanical garden, founded 1593)
Place de la Comédie
Antigone district
Grammont district
Domaine de Verchant vineyard
Arc de Triomphe (finish line)
Promenade du Peyrou (start / race village)
Other distances available during the event weekend:
Montpellier, Occitanie, France
FR
Average rate for 3-star accommodations near the start line
Eligibility
- Minimum age 20 in the race calendar year
- Valid FFA license or PPS health certificate
- Must finish within the 6-hour course cutoff
Required Documents
- Valid FFA athletics license OR a Parcours Prévention Santé (PPS) health certificate dated within 12 months of race day
- Photo ID at bib pickup
- Bib-pickup confirmation card (emailed after registration)
Entry Methods
- Online registration via the official Montpellier Run Festival site (registration processed through the Njuko platform)
Cancellation & Refund Policy
No refunds or cancellations; entries are non-refundable per organizer policy
Bibs may be transferred to another runner at no cost via the participant's online account
Runners may upgrade to a longer distance (paying the fee difference) or downgrade (no refund of the difference)
Montpellier Run Festival is the rebranded continuation of the long-running Marathon de Montpellier (13th edition in 2024), which added a two-day festival format starting with the 2025 edition.
The same weekend includes a 42.2 km Ekiden team relay (6 runners), 10K, 5K, and children's races, plus a free outdoor music festival at the Promenade du Peyrou race village on Saturday evening.
Organized by Playground Event in partnership with the City of Montpellier and Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole.
As of August 2026 the organizer had not yet announced exact 2027 dates or pricing; the date recorded here is projected from the event's mid-to-late-April Sunday cadence (April 13, 2025; April 19, 2026).
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