Fancy a stop in the Pays de la Loire 🌊, in the month of March ? 🪐 Good news: we’re here to tell you about the Semi-Marathon du Massif Forestier de Nuaillé, held in the town of the same name, Nuaillé, located in Maine-et-Loire🌲. This race, created in 1985, is renowned for its route through the sumptuous Nuaillé forest 🐿️ , as well as for the high level of its runners 🤌**. 2 adult races** as well as 4 kids’ races will take place in this exceptional competition 🧨, one of the best-known in France 🇫🇷 and in the region. As usual, an 8.2 km and a half marathon will be organized for this 40th edition of the legendary event!
Fair warning: it’s the regional event not to be missed! It’s one of the nicest half-marathon routes in the region, notably because it includes a section in town and in the heart of nature. The two loops 🔁 will indeed allow you to discover the woods 🪵 and forests 🌳 nearby thanks to passages through the Nuaillé-Chanteloup forest massif. Pure joy! 😍 With its 3,061 ha, it is the largest forest massif in the Mauges. This natural region offers its share of sites and listed historic monuments, spanning from Prehistory to the Middle Ages (menhirs, abbeys and museums 😯). Now a favorite playground for nature lovers, the Mauges region and its Nuaillé forest are protected areas, the forest sheltering diverse wildlife: roe deer, does, stags... 🦌 More than 80 bird species are listed there! 🕊️ Heathland and ponds add even more appeal to this green lung 💚. You’ll be happy, for example, to discover the Étang des Noues or the Étang de Péronne 🚣♂️. Be careful not to get “nuaillé” there!
Jokes aside, the start and finish 🏁 will be in the commune of Nuaillé, whatever your race 🏃♂️. The Semi-Marathon de Nuaillé course is a perfect training for an upcoming marathon. As explained above, you’ll be running through a beautiful green space, but you’ll also get a section in town 🌃, in Nuaillé and in Toutlemonde (yes, that’s the name of a commune! 😂). The shorter distance will let you enjoy a more accessible race, largely in nature 🍃, with a few false flats but overall a fast, rolling course 🛼. The routes will be all the more enjoyable because the atmosphere is very friendly: local bands will be there to celebrate your finish with music 🎺. Once you’ve worked hard, you’ll have the chance to share a meal to regain strength with the other runners. That’s the local spirit! 👍 And if you’d like to see even more nature, go discover the splendid Parc oriental de Maulévrier, located just a stone’s throw from Cholet 🏞️. Still, plan on proper clothing: it might be chilly! 🥶
Stoke the firewood 🔥 and set off for a little detour in the Pays de la Loire to chase your best result at the Semi-Marathon du Massif Forestier! 🌲
The first kilometer draws a small loop around the start, between 132 and 141 m of altitude, before a 1.8 km corridor that climbs from 135 to 164 m (about +30 m) 🥵. The route then heads east, brushes 167 m around km 4, then drops to the lowest point on the course: 130 m around km 7, roughly at the level of the sponge station at km 7.5💦. Then comes the longest climb: about 4.5 km steady, +60 m, up to the high point at 191 m around km 11.5 ⛰️. On this plateau perched between 180 and 190 m, a loop takes you to the eastern end of the course and has you hit 191 m again around km 13.5. The aid station at km 15 sits around 182 m. The slope then reverses (about -20 m to km 17, around 160 m, where the 2h10 cutoff falls). The route passes exactly through the same point as at km 4, then retraces in the opposite direction the 800 m segment and the outbound 1.8 km corridor, this time downhill, to finish 28 m lower than its summit 🏁. These last two kilometers are also those of the 8.2 km.
Start at 135 m, a gentle descent for 300 m, then head west with several close-together direction changes between km 1 and km 1.5 🌀. The lowest point (127 m) comes around km 2, just before the first hill: +20 m over 1 km up to 148 m around km 3 😮💨. A drop back down to 132 m comes before the southwesternmost point, around km 4, where the route swings east. The way back climbs steadily for about 2 km, from 137 to 164 m, up to the high point around km 6. You finish with a 2.1 km descent (-28 m) to the finish line 🏁, along the same corridor as the final kilometers of the half-marathon.
Yay! Races will be held for children. Distances vary depending on age:
Warm-ups will take place 30 minutes before the races to prepare the kids’ little legs 🦵.
⚠️ Please note that parental authorization is required for unlicensed minors. A medical certificate, a license, or a health questionnaire relating to the young runner’s health status will be requested. Also, half of the course is paced by coaches for the "Éveil Athlétique" category. This category as well as the "Poussins" category will not have timing or rankings.
All youngsters will receive a gift and prizes at the end of the event as well as refreshments at the finish 🎁 .
You can pick up your bib on Saturday 13/03/27 at the INTERSPORT store in CHOLET from 09:30 to 18:00, and on Sunday 14/03/27 at the Sports Hall in NUAILLE from 8:00 to 9:30. For the kids’ races, bib pickup is on Saturday at the INTERSPORT store in CHOLET (same hours) or on Sunday 14/03/27 at the Vallonnerie Hall, in Nuaillé, from 9:00 to 11:45. A license and an ID document must be presented to collect your bib.
Starts will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027:
at 9:50 for the 8.2 km Nature
at 10:00 for the half marathon
from 12:15 for the kids’ races (12:15 Éveil Athlétique, 12:30 Poussins, 12:45 Benjamins, 13:00 Minimes)
Any participation in a competition is subject to the mandatory presentation of:
Either an Athlé Compétition, Athlé Entreprise or Athlé Running license, issued by the FFA, valid on the date of the event. (Please note that other licenses issued by the FFA are not accepted).
For adults and foreign participants: a certificate (paper, electronic or QR Code type) indicating that you have completed the Health Prevention Pass (or PPS) set up by the FFA via its dedicated platform https://pps.athle.fr. To be valid, the PPS must have been completed no more than 1 year before the date of the event the person wishes to register for. Obtaining it is subject to a fee (€5).
For minors (under 18 on the date of the competition): the athlete and the people exercising parental authority jointly complete a questionnaire relating to their state of health, the content of which is specified by a joint order of the Minister of Health and the Minister of Sports. The people exercising parental authority over the minor athlete certify to the federation that each section of the questionnaire has a negative answer by providing a Health Certificate for Minors. Failing this, they must produce a medical certificate dated less than six months before the date of the event, attesting to the absence of any contraindication to practicing sport in competition.
They vary depending on the race:
For the half marathon:
€17 for FFA license holders before 01/03/27, €25 for other runners
€22 for FFA license holders from 01/03/27, €30 for other runners
For the 8.2 km Nature:
€11 for FFA license holders before 01/03/27, €13 for other runners
€16 for FFA license holders from 01/03/27, €18 for other runners
For the kids’ races:
Free
For the half marathon, any runner who passes after 2h10 of racing at km 17 will be stopped. The classification limit is set at 2h40.
For the half marathon: aid stations at km 5, 10, 15 and at the finish, with sponging at km 7.5, 12.5 and 17.5.
For the 8.2 km Nature: self-sufficient course, with an aid station at the finish.
Yes, there will be a bag drop at the sports hall.
Yes! Each team is made up of 3 runners, all from the same company, association, school or administration. A team may include only one FFA license holder on the date of the race. Each team member will register individually. When registering, each runner must specify their team name, the establishment name, its postal code and city. The same establishment may have several teams (e.g.: Nuaille1, Nuaille2, etc.). To validate the composition of the team or teams for an establishment, a document with the establishment letterhead must be sent back before March 11, 2027 to the following email address: contacts@semi-marathon-nuaille.fr.
It must include the composition of the establishment’s team(s) and be signed and stamped by the person in charge. Without this document, the teams will not be validated.
Registration for 2027 opens on December 1, 2026 at 8:00 and is exclusively online, on the NJUKO platform, via the official race website. It closes on Wednesday 10/03/2027 at midnight for all races. The number of places is limited to 3,000 entrants for the half marathon and 700 for the 8.2 km Nature. Places are reserved for FFA license holders for registration before 15/02/2027. Registration is individual: there are no group entries for clubs.
In the event of withdrawal due to injury before 01/03/2027, entry fees are refunded. From 01/03/2027, there are no more refunds. You can be replaced by a relative or friend until 10/03/2027 at midnight: from your NJUKO registration file, an email can be sent to invite a runner to take your place. There is no bib resale platform. Changing races is possible until 10/03/2027 at midnight, if the desired race is not full, by contacting the organization. In the event of force majeure, a natural disaster or any other circumstance endangering the safety of competitors, the organization reserves the right to cancel the event without refund; each competitor is then notified by email.
In the half marathon, prize money is awarded in the overall standings to the first 7 men and the first 7 women, according to their performance level (€100 to €1,500). A €200 record bonus is reserved for the first man and first woman (event records: 1h01'46 for men, 1h10'36 for women). A regional ranking rewards FFA competition license holders from Pays de la Loire (€200, €150 and €100 for the top three, cumulative with the overall standings). In the 8.2 km Nature, the first three men and the first three women receive Intersport vouchers of €100, €75 and €50. Prizes are reserved for runners registered before the close of registration, and attendance at the awards ceremony is mandatory.
If you still have questions, you can contact the organizers by email: contacts@semi-marathon-nuaille.fr
You can check the race rules here
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