Colmar Marathon 2026

A gem of the department of Haut-Rhin in the region Grand-Est, Colmar is worth a visit, especially when there is a race to offer you a new perspective 👀 of the city. It is in September, in a musical 🎷 and friendly 🍻 atmosphere of which only Alsatians have the secret, that the Colmar Marathon invites you for one of the major athletic moments of the season 🎉. Despite the dreary weather one might associate with September, the temperatures should be ideal 🌤️ (even in Alsace), yes indeed, summer isn't over yet 😎.

There is more to life than just 42.195 km, and the organizers have understood this well. So 3 distances are offered to you: besides the kids' races 👧 known as "Kids", there is also "Le Dix" of 10 km, a half-marathon and the marathon, which you can also do in a relay of 2 runners 👥. There is also the "Squadron" format, allowing you to run the distances with two or three people, with a staggered start for a team finish! To be clearer, a marathoner starts in Colmar, is joined at 21.1 km from the finish by a half-marathoner, then by a ten-kilometer runner (lol) at 10 km from the finish 🏁. Easy, isn't it? 😁

Begin with a little warm-up on Place Rapp, an opportunity to stretch your vocal cords ankles 🎵. Cross the historic center before heading south towards the villages of Wettolsheim and Eguisheim. Then, return to the city to head north to the villages of Katzenthal and Sigolsheim. Are you beginning to see the pretzel shape? Indeed, the uniqueness of this course is that it's pretzel-shaped! 🥨 Amazing, isn't it, considering it's one of the region's emblems 😄. To conclude, go through the typical villages of the wine route 🍷, before returning for a jam session in the city center, at Place Rapp ⛲️.

The race truly is ideal for discovering this city with its rich architectural and cultural heritage. A capital of Alsace wines, Colmar hosts over 3 million visitors annually, notably for the Christmas markets 🎅🏻. The old district, nicknamed "little Venice" due to its network of canals topped by half-timbered houses and Renaissance style, gives this city a picturesque and unique atmosphere 🥰. After the race, you can also take time to visit the theater and museums like the Unterlinden museum (“under the linden trees”) or trace the steps of the Statue of Liberty's creator, Auguste Bartholdi 🗽.

The Colmar Marathon is also a dual commitment. First, to solidarity with the slogan "run for charity", to assist the sick or disabled 🤝. Profits are donated to charitable causes. Secondly, to the environment as the race is eco-responsible with comprehensive waste sorting ♻️.

The pretzel-shaped course, it does make you hungry! In Alsace, we know how to treat ourselves with sauerkraut, flammekueche and good local wines 🍇. There’s everything you need to recover from your feats, and we assure you, you'll never tire of Colmar ! 😉