Semi-marathon du Lion
Race snapshot
Race Day
48–61°F · Feels mild
Total elevation gain
Relatively flat course · Net elevation change +98 ft
Participants
Medium-sized race
Crowd Rating
Excellent spectator turnout
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The Lowdown
The Semi-marathon du Lion is Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's biggest running weekend, linking the neighboring cities of Montbéliard and Belfort in the Territoire de Belfort and Doubs departments of eastern France. Founded in 1983 by the athletics section of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, the race debuted in April 1984 and earned IAAF certification in 1987; it hosted the French semi-marathon championships in 1994 and the World Championships in 1995, drawing 60 nations. The 2026 edition marks the 41st running on Sunday, September 27, 2026, and carries the French Athletics Federation's Gold Label. The course direction alternates every year, so 2026 runs from the Château des Ducs de Wurtemberg in Montbéliard to the foot of Bartholdi's Lion statue in Belfort, largely along the flat former national road D437, with about 43 meters of elevation gain and one notable rise near Andelnans around the 15-kilometer mark. Alongside the semi-marathon, the weekend includes a 10K, the women's 5K "La Féline," a Saturday evening Noctilion, and adapted joëlette races, drawing roughly 8,000 total participants and 20,000 spectators along the route.
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