Your PR, you will smash 💪. Your breath, you will catch again 🌬️. At the Souffle du Gers, you will show up! 🏃♂️
It’s in the heart of the region of Occitanie, in the department of Gers, more precisely in Auch, that the Athletic Club Auscitain association invites you 📍. 3 distances are on offer: a walk/Nordic walk of 10.5 km, a 10 km run and a half-marathon, also open to para-athletes. The course is particularly fast 🛼; you’ll find seasoned runners as well as simple running lovers ❤️. Created in 1988 (the very same year as the Louvre’s glass pyramid 🤓) and held in March, the Souffle du Gers has seen weather of every kind depending on the year 🌈. Sometimes a big, beautiful blue sky with a pleasant temperature 😎, sometimes with rain 🌧️ and temperatures 🌡️ not exactly Auch-friendly 🥶. All you’ll have left to do is pray 🙏 for glorious sunshine ☀️, otherwise you’ll have to be fast enough ⚡️ to run between the raindrops! ☔️
Known for its long straight lines 📏, this race is very fast and easy on the legs 🦵 and therefore perfect for smashing your PR ⏱️. It’s a bit like you were on the Auchamps-Elysées 😂. But for those not interested in the clock, this edition offers a walk of 10.5 km on trails near Auch. A lovely getaway along the banks of the Gers and through the Couget woods awaits you 🥰, and will, without a doubt, make the event accessible to everyone 🙌. Because for the other two distances, watch out: the champions will be out in force! 🥇 Indeed, its 10 km and half, Bronze-labeled and certified by the French Athletics Federation, are among the events qualifying for the French Championships 🇫🇷. Up front, sharpened legs test themselves against the very best. Organized right in the middle of Blue March, the month of awareness against colorectal cancer, the race supports the Ligue contre le cancer 💙. A donation can be added to your registration, placing the event among the charity races on the calendar. Open with no age limit, the walk takes the whole family on the adventure 🚶.
Of course, the Souffle du Gers aims to place human values at the heart of the event 🤝. For many years now, the race has been open to handbike athletes on the half-marathon and to joëlettes on the 10 km ♿️. So you won’t necessarily need to be aiming for a spot at the French Championships if you want to line up for these two distances 😅, just to want to cross the finish line while sharing a great moment of togetherness! 🏁 And why not... Dance the Gers, to Pop music?🕺🏼
If you’re a fan of road running, let us suggest Les Foulées de l’Isle in June or the Corrida Pédestre d’Auch. Yes, it’s a sporty city! 🤾♂️ If you prefer the nature 🍃 side, we can recommend the Arrats Trail in Mauvezin. Finally, let yourself be tempted by the Saint Mont Vignoble en Course, with its vines 🍇 and castles 🏰. Occitanie, beyond sporting challenges, is full of treasures, and Auch is one of them ✨. After your race, you can linger in this city that overlooks the Gers valley, through its narrow streets that will reveal typical old houses 😍. Of course, a good appetite is recommended! 🍴 On the menu: regional specialties like duck 🦆, croustade, melon 🍈 or chicken 🍗. To digest all that, a must-see tour of the city’s most beautiful monuments: the monumental staircase of Auch, the Armagnac Tower, Sainte-Marie Cathedral and, nearby, the Château de Lavardens!
If you Auch your head, it means you agree to come take on this challenge ! 😁
The half marathon starts on Rue du Général-de-Gaulle for a 21 km loop through the Auscitain countryside, with only 32 mD+ / 35 mD-. Head towards Pavie, where the Cédon chapel and the Peyloubère road mark out the first part ⛪ . The route then heads towards Auterive and Boucagnères 🛣️, along long straight lines where the pace settles in naturally. The final kilometres bring you back towards Auch, just as fatigue starts to sting 🔥. The entry onto the athletics track finally gives you a last sprint in front of the stands.
Start at avenue Pierre-de-Montesquiou, in the heart of Auch, for a near-flat 10 km loop, with barely 12 mD+ / 13 mD- on the clock 🎽. The route leaves the city and follows the Gers valley to Pavie, a neighboring town fully mobilized for the occasion. Straightaway after straightaway, the legs are firing on all cylinders and the pace settles in without needing to surge. Then it's back toward Auch for the final switch: entering the athletics track of the Jacques-Fouroux stadium promises a final sprint in full competition mode 🏁. A fast, flowing course, made to nail a qualifying time ⚡️.
With poles in hand, the start is given avenue du Général-de-Gaulle, in the heart of Auch. The first few hectometres cross the Gers river 💧 before following its banks. The route then heads into the bois du Couget for a large loop under the trees 🌿, punctuated by a refreshment station halfway through. As the Nordic walking is timed, keep up a sustained pace until the finish on the athletics track at the Jacques-Fouroux stadium.
Here is the non-timed version of the outing: start avenue du Général-de-Gaulle, crossing the Gers and then heading for the Couget woods 👣. A big nature loop awaits walkers, at their own pace, with a refreshment stop halfway to catch their breath. Open with no age limit, the walk can be enjoyed with family or friends, along a peaceful wooded path 🐦. Return towards Auch and finish on the athletics track at the stadium Jacques-Fouroux, just like the runners.
You can pick up your bib at the Mouzon hall in Auch on Saturday 20 March 2027 from 2:00 pm to 6:30 pm, or on Sunday 21 March 2027, race day. The timing chip will be handed to you at the same time as your bib. The bib must be worn on the chest and must not be folded: remember to bring safety pins.
The half-marathon will start on Sunday 21 March 2027 at 9:35 am, Rue du Général-de-Gaulle in Auch.
The start of the 10.5 km walk and Nordic walk will be on Sunday 21 March 2027 at 9:45 am, Avenue du Général-de-Gaulle in Auch.
The start of the handisport 10 km and half-marathon races will be on Sunday 21 March 2027 at 9:59 am.
The 10 km will start on Sunday 21 March 2027 at 10:00 am, Avenue Pierre-de-Montesquiou in Auch.
The half-marathon and 10 km finish will be judged on the athletics track at Stade Jacques-Fouroux in Auch. When you register, you will choose a starting corral number. The times corresponding to each corral will be communicated by the organization.
The 10 km is open from the cadet category, to runners born in 2010 or earlier.
The half-marathon is open from the junior category, to runners born in 2008 or earlier.
The walk and Nordic walk are not subject to any age restriction.
Minors may participate only in the 10 km.
For the 10 km and the half-marathon, you must provide one of the following documents:
an Athlé Compétition, Athlé Entreprise or Athlé Running license issued by the FFA, valid on race day;
a Pass' J'aime Courir issued by the FFA and completed by a doctor, valid on race day;
a PPS certificate valid on the day of the competition, obtained on the website pps.athle.fr.
FFA Health and Coaching licenses are not accepted for the races.
Minors must provide a PPS certificate filled out on the day of registration on the website pps.athle.fr. It is free and valid for a single race.
Walkers who wish to be timed must present an FFA Athlé Santé license or a PPS certificate. It is also possible to take part in the walk without any supporting document. In that case, the walk does not give rise to any ranking and participation is at your own responsibility.
The registration form
A photocopy of the valid FFA license or a PPS certificate for non-licensed participants.
For 16/18-year-olds (who are allowed to participate only in the 10 km): parental authorization is mandatory for non-licensed participants
Please note, walkers can provide a license or a medical certificate if they wish to be timed. Otherwise, it is also possible to participate without any supporting document, bearing in mind that the walk does not generate a ranking.
For the 10.5 km walk and Nordic walk, the bib costs €10.
For the 10 km, the bib costs €20 until Sunday 7 March 2027, then €22 from Monday 8 March to Saturday 20 March 2027.
For the half-marathon, the bib costs €24 until Sunday 7 March 2027, then €26 from Monday 8 March to Saturday 20 March 2027.
A €2 discount is applied to FFA license holders on the 10 km and the half-marathon. When you register, you will also be able to make a donation to the Ligue contre le cancer and reserve your spot for the post-race meal.
There is no cut-off time for the events.
Handbike athletes are authorized only on the half-marathon. Joëlettes may participate only in the 10 km, subject to presentation of a PPS certificate for all participants, both athletes and companions. For more information, you can contact Omar, from the Auch Handi association, at 06 84 17 39 66.
Refreshment stations are provided every 5 km on the races. The walks have a refreshment station halfway.
If you still have questions, you can contact the organizers by email: ath.club.auch@wanadoo.fr or by phone at: 05 62 05 16 02
You can check the race rules here

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