Avignon Marathon 2026

The Avignon Marathon and its 80 mD+ are waiting for you for its very first edition! 🫵 You’re in luck: the organizers have thought of everything to help you perform, thanks to a fairly flat course with only 80 mD+. The start will be given in front of the Gare Centre, Boulevard Saint-Roch, right in the heart of Avignon.

From the very first meters, the scene is set. You run alongside the medieval ramparts of Avignon 🏰 for nearly 4 kilometers: these 14th-century ramparts that stretch for almost 5 km. The route then takes you to the foot of the Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic building of the medieval world, before gliding toward the Place de l'Horloge 🕰️ and in front of the Avignon Opera 🎭. The first aid station arrives at just the right time to catch your breath before the rest of the historic loop.

Around km 4, you pass in front of the City Hall, then the course brings you at km 5 to the foot of the legendary Pont Saint-Bénézet 🌉, the famous 12th-century Pont d'Avignon. After this first very urban section steeped in historical heritage, the route gradually descends toward the banks of the Rhône 🌊 between km 6 and km 9, offering a lovely transition between the historic city and a more open, flowing setting 🌳. It’s the ideal stretch to find your marathon pace and drop your shoulders after the excitement of the start.

Around km 10, you cross the Rhône and head onto the Île de la Barthelasse, the largest river island in Europe. The change of scenery is immediate and radical: you leave the city asphalt behind for good for flat, open lanes lined with vegetation 🌳, with a breathtaking view of the ramparts of Avignon and the Rocher des Doms from the riverbanks. The big loop on the island forms the heart of the course, between roughly km 10 and km 38. It’s the most "nature" part of the race, where your legs can express themselves freely on perfectly flat ground, with the Rhône as your traveling companion 🌊. Aid stations are regularly spaced throughout this entire section, giving you what you need to manage your effort calmly along this long riverside straightaway 🥤. The island’s northern tip, around km 18, marks the symbolic turnaround point of the marathon. Along the edges of the island, you also get ever-changing panoramas of both banks of the Rhône, between the tree-lined banks of the Chemin des Berges and the outlines of the city on the Avignon side.

The climb back up toward the island’s southern tip, between km 33 and km 38, is the marathon’s strategic section—the one where your legs start to have opinions of their own. But the view of the Pont d'Avignon from the opposite bank, visible along the line of the river, offers one of those moments of grace that makes you momentarily forget your quads 😅. One last aid station for the final kilometers, and you take on the home straight.

The finish takes place on the Chemin des Berges, in a bucolic, atypical setting right by the water 💧, far from the usual finishes in city-center squares. A first edition that is shaping up to be historic for the Vaucluse.