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Marathon Bresse Dombes 2026

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Photo credits: Marathon Bresse Dombes
Road RunningWalking🏅 Challenge of Friendliness
🦹 Disguised🤪 Eccentric↔️ City to City🏰 Castles🏞 Nature🌲 Forest📰 Culture & History🛶 Lakes & ponds👶 Kids & Juniors Courses🙌 Charitable Cause🍲 Gastronomic🥳 Festive🤝 Relay
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The event in a few words

We meet you in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, at Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, right in the heart of Ain for an event you really shouldn’t miss: The Marathon de Bresse Dombes! 🚩 You know the saying, "sport is a part of pleasure!"? No? Well, that's normal, we made it up especially for the occasion! 😆 This event is the perfect mix between sporting activities 🎽 and festive moments 🥳. All accompanied by a touristic and culinary discovery of the region in a quirky atmosphere 🤪. It's the kind of menu we love, right? 🥘 Born in 2021, the Marathon Bresse Dombes has become a spring must-do thanks to all its attributes. In 2025, there were more than 4,300 participants. This year, you will be among them to set a new participation record! 😎

So, if this description made your mouth water 🤤, that's great because we haven't even gotten to the main course 🍴. It’s late April 🌻 that we meet you, arms bare and ankles in the wind 🌬️ to start. On the menu, 5 main courses: an individual marathon or in relay 2-person or 4-person 🤝, a half-marathon, a 10 km, and a 5 km. For the small appetites, 2 charitable walks are offered to raise funds for the League Against Cancer 💪. The first is 7.5 km long and the other 11.6 km. All registration proceeds are donated, which amounted to €10,000 for the 2025 edition 🤯. A children’s menu 👦 is also available to make this event a true family gathering 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦. Still, we prefer to warn you to avoid surprises before your dish is served: you'll get an extra elevation gain 📈. Too easy otherwise! 😅 Brace yourself to face 310 mD+ for the marathon and 178 mD+ for the half. Nothing inedible insurmountable, rest assured! 😏 A bit of challenge always spices up the dish, right? 🌶️ So prepare your legs for the big day... but also your stomach! Gourmet refreshments, typical of the region, will tease your taste buds 😋. And if you can't wait for race day, a gourmet meal 🍽️ is organized on Saturday evening (by reservation) to kick off the festivities early.

Eating is one thing, but that's not what makes the competition interesting... 😜 There are also the picturesque landscapes awaiting you on the course 🥰. You'll notably have the opportunity to cross several towns with unique charm! 🤌 Villages, wooded paths, the ponds of Dombes, beautiful architecture, and even castles 🏰... It's not just a typical road race you're going to run since nature will also be a part of it 🌳. The friendly aspect is also a key highlight of the event 👍. You'll find many musical animations 🎷 in the heart of the towns. By the way, you can already put away your running t-shirt and start looking for your best costume 🎩. YES, the races are in costume! (and there’s even a contest 🏆) Not mandatory of course, but the photos 📸 from previous editions will surely tempt you into trying this quirky adventure 😉. Therefore, in a more than festive atmosphere 🎉, you’ll be able to run these kilometers, with the 14 animation points on your course 🪅.

The Marathon de Bresse Dombes is therefore an all-in-one event: a guided tour of the beautiful villages of the region, a tasting of local and typical products, and a great opportunity to dress up/have fun. So, who will you be the first weekend of May? Spiderman 🕸️, Jack Sparrow, or Pikachu? 🤔 It's your choice! 🫵

5 reasons to join this race

The costumes 🧚‍♀️
A completely crazy experience awaits you 🤪. Yes, it's not every day you get the chance to run with Daft Punk or Obelix! Grab your best costume and get ready to smile for the photos because you'll certainly want to keep a memory! 📸
The gourmet meals 😋
Don't count on this event to burn calories! 😂 The organizers have taken care to prepare gargantuan refreshments made from local products. Quality and local products that you'll be eager to taste, to the point of rushing to the next stop to renew the pleasure 🚀.
The festive and friendly atmosphere 🎉
The Marathon de Bresse Dombes offers you an incredible atmosphere throughout the course! 🥳 Here's a great opportunity to combine sport and fun with other participants and residents who come to cheer you on. On the program: brass bands, buffet, musical warm-up, everything is planned for you to have a unique time! 🎺
For all tastes 🏃‍♂️
With its menu of multiple flavors, the competition will allow you to easily choose the distance that appeals to you the most. Classic road races, marathons, relays, a half, a 10 km, a 5 km, and walks of 12 and 7.2 km... So, what tempts you? 🤔
Discover the region 👀
The courses will allow you to immerse yourself in the heart of the beautiful Ain department and in the flowering towns and villages of the region 🌻. Besides the bucolic landscapes, it is also a beautiful medieval city rich in history that will unravel before you 😯.

Message from the organizer:

"A pride to organize a festive, friendly event with local gastronomic flavors through the Bresse and Dombes in Ain."

A distance for every taste

Marathon Bresse Dombes

Road RunningThe most popular
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Road Running🦹 Disguised🤪 Eccentric↔️ City to City🏰 Castles🏞 Nature🌲 Forest📰 Culture & History🛶 Lakes & ponds🙌 Charitable Cause🍲 Gastronomic🥳 Festive
  • Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM
  • Elevation gain : 310mD+
  • 1 loopx42.195 km

A few more words

Go marathoners, it's time for an incredible course! 😏

You take off in the heart of the beautiful commune and the former medieval city of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, which has also obtained the Villes et Villages Fleuris label 💐 as well as Most Beautiful Detour of France 🇫🇷. The marathon officially kicks off in front of the Bel-Air Hippodrome.

You will reach your first refreshment point, located at the ponds of the Dombes, revealing a surprising scenery. This is a land of birds 🦅, with exceptional fauna and flora, in a preserved nature 🦍. Your course is punctuated by green spaces 🌳 of the city and the famous ponds 🚣‍♀️ leading you to the next highlight town of your race, Neuville-les-dames, a small flowery commune 🌸 with its typical places (including the beautiful church ⛪️ in the center). It's at this intersection that you'll complete a loop 🔁 bringing you back to the same spot. This loop allows you to cross neighboring communes and hamlets. You will still spend a large part in a natural setting with the Field of the Pond at the 9th km, followed by the Château de Chatenay 🏰, 1 km further, where a princely refreshment awaits 👑. You then reach the charming village of Chanoz-Châtenay to head back into natural paths, especially in the Field of Biziat. At a cruising pace, you'll pass through small villages to arrive at the more urban part 🏙️ of your course. It's in the heart 💓 of the village of Vonnas that the atmosphere and the locals will await you, just a few kilometers before delving back into your (almost) exhaustive discovery of the commune 👀.

You will follow the watercourse 🌊, the Rénon. You'll then change landscapes to head into the fields 🌾. Another good refreshment will be waiting for you at the Château de Longe 🏰. So it is through these natural spaces and wooded paths 🪵 that you'll return to the commune of Neuville-les-Dames. There will be one last castle along your route: that of La Chassagne, at the 34th km, which also corresponds to a refreshment point 🧃.

You will then start the final part of your race bringing you back to your starting point on a path parallel to the one you took initially. Indeed! The organizers made sure to have you run in the city's greenest areas 👍. Your flamboyant finish will take place at Prés Gaudet 🖼️, offering you a last bucolic scenery 🌳.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

You can collect your bib at the Noël Ravassard space / Racetrack of Châtillon sur Chalaronne, on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM (until 4:00 PM for children's races).

Here are the times and locations for the race starts:

Saturday, April 25, 2026:

  • 4:00 PM, Noël Ravassard Racetrack: children's race for ages 4 to 6. Baby Athlé categories.

  • 4:15 PM, Noël Ravassard Racetrack: children's race for ages 7 to 9. Eveil Athlétique categories.

  • 4:30 PM, Noël Ravassard Racetrack: children’s race for ages 10 to 11. Poussins categories.

  • 5:00 PM, Noël Ravassard Racetrack: children's race for ages 12 to 13. Benjamins categories.

Sunday, April 26, 2026:

  • 9:00 AM, Noël Ravassard Racetrack in Châtillon sur Chalaronne: the Marathon

  • 9:30 AM, Noël Ravassard Racetrack in Châtillon sur Chalaronne: the 5 km

  • 9:40 AM, Noël Ravassard Racetrack in Châtillon sur Chalaronne: the 10 km

  • 9:45 AM, Rue Chaynes Aimable in Vonnas: the Half-Marathon

  • 10:00 AM: 12 km Solidarity Walk for the League Against Cancer

  • 10:15 AM: 7.2 km Solidarity Walk for the League Against Cancer

2026 prices to be announced.

The registration includes:

  • Chip timing

  • Sporty, festive, and gourmet refreshments

  • A 100% sublimated technical t-shirt in event colors (except for the 5 km)

  • Welcome gifts typical of the region

  • Your official Finisher medal

  • Your Finisher video available for free 48 hours after the race

  • Raffle of bib numbers with many quality prizes

  • Many quality prizes for podiums

  • A €15 discount voucher at our partner RUN EXPERT found on your bib

  • A 20% discount voucher at our partner SPORTS DEPOT.FR (accessible on the runner's area in your registration space)

  • Discounts/offers from our partners (accessible on the runner's area in your registration space)

  • Access to Photobox for your free souvenir photo

  • Partner accommodation offers

Clubs, associations, and companies can register as a group by contacting the organizers:

  • by phone: 03 45 87 99 23

  • by email: semibressedombes@gmail.com specifying the following information: name/first name of the group manager, group manager's email, group manager's phone, group's billing details, group with final invoice (so no payment from registrants and final payment by your structure) or group with payment by registrants

Shuttle seats for the half-marathon start are available. They will depart from Châtillon/Chalaronne to Vonnas, the race start area. The rate is €7 per seat. Reservations are online only.

No medical certificate is required for children's/juniors' races. However, parental authorization will be required. For other races, medical certificates are no longer accepted; a PPS (Health Prevention Course) certificate dated less than three months by the race date must be provided. This can be replaced by a valid FFA license or equivalent.

All necessary information can be found here.

Varied refreshments, including water and solid food, will be available every 5 km and at the finish.

  • For the solo marathon: 11 "sport" liquid/solid provisions (every 5 km) + festive and gourmet refreshments

  • For the 2-person relay marathon: 11 "sport" liquid/solid provisions (every 5 km) + festive and gourmet refreshments

  • For the 4-person relay marathon: 11 "sport" liquid/solid provisions (every 5 km) + festive and gourmet refreshments

  • For the half-marathon: "sport" and "festive and gourmet" liquid/solid provisions (2 routes + finish) every 5 km

  • For the 10 km: 3 "sport" and "festive and gourmet" liquid/solid provisions (2 routes + finish)

  • For the 5 km: 1 "sport" and "festive and gourmet" liquid/solid provision

  • For the solidarity walks: 1 liquid/solid provision for the 7.2 km walk and 2 for the 12 km walk

To participate in the races, runners must be born:

  • The Marathon is open to all athletes born in 2006 and before

  • The 2-person Relay Marathon is open to all athletes born in 2008 and before

  • The 4-person Relay Marathon is open to all athletes born in 2010 and before

  • The Half-Marathon is open to all athletes born in 2008 and before

  • The 10 km is open to all athletes born in 2010 and before

  • The 5 km is open to all athletes born in 2012 and before

  • "La Color" is open to all athletes born between 2013 and 2014

  • "La Kid Color" is open to all athletes born between 2015 and 2016

  • "La Mini Kid Color" is open to all athletes born between 2017 and 2019

  • "La Pitchounes Color" is open to all athletes born between 2020 and 2022

Award ceremonies will take place at the Champ de Foire. There will be prizes and awards for the top performers in each category, without accumulation, for:

  • The first three men and women in Scratch on the four adult races

  • The first in each age category and combined Masters (from M0 to M10) on the solo marathon, half-marathon, and the 10 km

  • The first three men's, women's, and mixed teams in the 2-person and 4-person relay marathons

  • The best costume

  • 1 medal to all young participants

Additionally, a raffle of various prizes (based on bib numbers of arrivals in the three main races) will take place during the award ceremony.

The average temperature in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne in April is 15° with low chances of rain.

There will indeed be a meal on Saturday, April 25, 2026, starting at 7:30 PM at the Bel Air hall of the Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne Racetrack. The number of seats is limited to 200 people. It's not mandatory to participate in one of the races to enjoy the meal. Reservations are made only on the website. On the menu: typical regional dishes prepared by a caterer.

Several accommodation solutions are offered on the competition site.

Runners will find locker rooms and showers at the Bel Air Space – Châtillon sur Chalaronne Racetrack, at the starting area.

For marathons:

  • Time limit 1: Vonnas/21.1 km: 3h30 of racing

  • Time limit 2: Neuville les Dames/30 km: 5h of racing

  • Time limit 3: Châtillon sur Chalaronne/42.2 km: 7h of racing

Do you want to become a volunteer? It's very easy:

More questions? You can contact the organizers:

You can check the race rules here

Results - Marathon Bresse Dombes

2023 editionView results

Focus

Marathon Bresse Dombes - Noa Gillet
Marathon Bresse Dombes - Noa Gillet
Marathon Bresse Dombes - Noa Gillet
Marathon Bresse Dombes - Noa Gillet
Marathon Bresse Dombes - Noa Gillet
Marathon Bresse Dombes - Noa Gillet
Marathon Bresse Dombes - Noa Gillet
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