Does running across France for several weeks sound tempting? 🏃
In mid-September, you will experience 18 days out of time ⏳. Each morning, you'll get up with your group 🌅, listen to the day's briefing (route, weather, points of attention) 📢, and set out for a new stage! Between 28 and 63 km depending on the day 📏, you'll cross forests 🌲, go along canals 🚣, discover towns and villages 🏘️, and above all, you'll advance with dozens of other people who share the same craziness as you 😄. The Marathon of the Capables is not timed ⏱️, there's no ranking, no competition. The goal? 🎯 Support each other 🤗, and cross the finish line all together in Marseille 🎉 It's a completely different philosophy from other races: here, you don't run against others, you run WITH others 💕
The route itself is a journey across France 🇫🇷 You start at Port-Marly near Paris 🗼, pass through Fontainebleau forest 🌲, descend to Montargis and Gien on the Loire 💦, traverse Burgundy and its vineyards 🍇, arrive at Lyon the gastronomic capital 🍽️. You pass by the Traboules, the Basilica of Fourvière ⛪ overlooking the city, and maybe you'll have the chance to taste a real Lyonnaise quenelle 😋. Heading south, the landscapes change completely 🌄: you leave the plains to see the first reliefs appear, the fields become more golden ☀️, and the accent starts to sing 🎵. In Montélimar, you can't miss the nougat shops (it's a moral obligation to buy some 🍬). Avignon and its Palace of the Popes remind you of medieval history 👑, Salon-de-Provence smells of lavender and thyme 🌿💜, and when you finally reach Aix and then Marseille, it's the explosion of the Mediterranean 🌊: cicadas 🦗, plane trees 🌳, fountains, southern rays... And that iodine smell when you finally see the sea 🏖️. Each region has its charm, its specialties 🧀, its landscapes... It's like going around France in an ultra-endurance version, but without a bike 🚴♂️! And the best? You can register for just one stage if you want to test 🧪, a few stages for a long athletic weekend 📅, or the entirety if you feel like an adventurer 🏕️. In solo, as a duo, with a group of friends 👫👬👭, or even through your company for quality team building 💼... All formulas are possible!
What makes the Marathon of the Capables really special is its inclusive nature 🌈 More than 80% of the route is accessible to people with reduced mobility 🦽: some in wheelchairs, others with prosthetics 🦿, visual impairments 👨🦯, or accompanied in joëlette... Together, we form a community where difference becomes a wealth 💎 You come with your adapted equipment and your team of helpers if needed (guides, push escorts, companions) 👥, and the organization does everything to facilitate your journey. The volunteers are trained and kind 💙, ready to help you with no judgment. You will witness moments of pure magic ✨: able-bodied people pushing wheelchairs uphill 🔺, bonds formed between strangers 🤝, applause at every arrival 👏... These 18 days will change you, it's a promise 🌟
The values of the MDC are set in stone 🪨: mutual aid, respect, solidarity, inclusion 🌟. Here, we come to experience something beautiful together, not to play cowboys 🤠. If someone is in difficulty, we help them 🆘. If someone needs to quit, we support them morally 💛. Friendships are formed, memories are made... People arrive on the first day wondering if they will make it 😰, and they finish in Marseille transformed, stronger, more confident 💪 That's the magic of inclusive ultra-endurance: you discover you are capable of much more than you thought 🚀
And above all, you realize that together, we truly go further 🤝✨
Organizer's message:
"The Marathon of the Capables is more than a race. It's a movement I want to see become an essential part of French sport.” From the beginning, my goal is clear: to create an event where everyone finds their place, able-bodied or disabled. An ultra-marathon that puts the human at the center, where we run for a cause, for inclusion, for self-surpassing. With the team, we want to continue growing this adventure until it becomes a national symbol of more accessible, more supportive, more vibrant sport. The story is just starting. Thank you for building it with us. — Moussa Diallo"
Official list of stages 2026:
You’ll need to download the Spond app and then join the “Marathon des Capables” group. You’ll be added to sub-groups and will find all the information you need for taking part.
The race will start on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, from the Port-Marly Town Hall.
Each stage will start from the town hall of the stage town, on the date indicated.
No, it’s not mandatory. However, you will need to provide a PPS certificate dated less than one year before the race date.
If you’re not familiar with the PPS: it’s the French “Parcours de Prévention Santé”, an online health-prevention certificate accepted for race registration.
Yes. You must be at least 16 years old to take part (parental consent is required for minors).
Stage 1: Port-Marly → Paris – September 16, 2026 – 28.6 km: €35
Stage 2: Combs-la-Ville → Fontainebleau – September 17, 2026 – 43.4 km: €35
Stage 3: Fontainebleau → Montargis – September 18, 2026 – 63.3 km: €35
Stage 4: Montargis → Gien – September 19, 2026 – 40.2 km: €35
Stage 5: Châtillon-sur-Loire → Pouilly-sur-Loire – September 20, 2026 – 49.3 km: €35
Stage 6: Magny-Cours → Moulins – September 21, 2026 – 45 km: €35
Stage 7: Moulins → Lapalisse – September 22, 2026 – 46.5 km: €35
Stage 8: Lapalisse → Roanne – September 23, 2026 – 54.7 km: €35
Stage 9: Tarare → Villefranche-sur-Saône – September 25, 2026 – 35.9 km: €35
Stage 10: Villefranche-sur-Saône → Lyon – September 26, 2026 – 41.1 km: €35
Stage 11: Lyon → Vienne – September 27, 2026 – 36.6 km: €35
Stage 12: Valence → Montélimar – September 28, 2026 – 54.2 km: €35
Stage 13: Montélimar → Bollène – September 29, 2026 – 38.1 km: €35
Stage 14: Orange → Avignon – September 30, 2026 – 29.9 km: €35
Stage 15: Avignon → Salon-de-Provence – October 1, 2026 – 56.1 km: €35
Stage 16: Salon-de-Provence → Aix-en-Provence – October 2, 2026 – 35 km: €35
Stage 17: Aix-en-Provence → Marseille – October 3, 2026 – 33.9 km: €35
Marseille loop, Vieux Port – October 3, 2026 – 6.5 km: €35
For participation in 1 stage, each additional stage costs €10.
On each stage, there will be an aid station roughly every 10 km, as well as one at the finish.
Yes—here’s what you must carry:
Fully charged phone
Reflective vest
Headlamp (for dark sections)
Minimum 500 mL water reserve
For athletes with disabilities (PMR): compliant, inspected equipment
If you still have questions, you can contact the organizers by email: marathondescapables@gmail.com
You can check the race rules here
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