Rivers and Castles Trail at the Gates of Lauragais 2026

Next June, just before summer 🌞, a new edition of the Rivers and Castles Trail at the Gates of Lauragais will take place! 👑 A striking and intriguing name for an event held in Saint-Orens-de-Gameville, in the heart of Haute-Garonne in Occitanie... But not that intriguing when you know how rich this territory’s cultural heritage is! 🤯 Historically, the Lauragais was a recognized entity in the southwest of France, before being divided at the time of the French Revolution into four departments : Haute-Garonne, Aude, Ariège and Tarn 👨‍🎓. That’s it for the introductions! 🤓 In any case, you can guess: there will be castles and rivers (what a surprise! 🙄).

The Rivers and Castles Race at the Gates of Lauragais is organized by the city of Saint-Orens-de-Gameville (with neighboring partner municipalities Quint-Fonsegrives, Lauzerville and Auzielle 🏡), which from the very first edition wanted to create a unifying event around running 🏃‍♀️. A race that would be festive, friendly, and linked to a charitable cause 👏. For this new edition, part of the registration fees will be donated to the Secours Populaire of Saint-Orens. The ecological 🌱 aspect is also very important to the race’s creators, and that’s always appreciated by finishers 🎽.

The routes marked out for the event are 80% trails and 20% road 🔥. We’ve logically categorized it as a trail, even if you might consider it a mixed race from that point of view! It’s up to you 😏. You’ll tread the paths and roads all around the 4 municipalities (Saint-Orens-de-Gameville, Quint-Fonsegrives, Lauzerville and Auzielle), enjoying the lovely castles along the way 🏰, like Château de Cayras, and the public parks located nearby 🌷. Your strides will be refreshed by the surrounding rivers like the Saune 💦, which you’ll sometimes follow. So the whole family can enjoy it, many kids’ races with evocative names are planned: “Hedgehogs” 🦔 400 m for ages 4-6, “Frogs” 🐸 800 m for ages 7-9, “Squirrels” 🐿 1.6 km for ages 10-11, “Rabbits” 🐇 2.4 km for ages 12-13, “Boar Piglets” 🐷 3.2 km​ for ages 14-15 ! Wow! 😃 Oh, we almost forgot: two of the races offered (the 14 km and the 7 km) are also open to walkers! That’s important info, too 😂.

In this department of Haute-Garonne, nature and the city dance for the best 💃. There are many hiking routes in this area: Cascade d'Enfer, Pays de l'Ours, Seuil de Naurouze... You’ll find enchantment here! 😍 All punctuated by the charm of southern villages, like Saint-Gaudens or Bagnères-de-Luchon. If you still have some time, towns like Muret, Blagnac, Colomiers can be excellent alternatives to Toulouse.

Plenty to treat yourself, get your muscles moving, help an association, and rediscover nature, all in one event. Don’t hesitate any longer!