Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc

The Race

History

In 1985, 500 people entered a new marathon in Pauillac and 396 finished it. Bruno Schmitt won in 2:29:53 and Josette Guillemin in 3:26:27. Within two years the entry list had nearly tripled to 1,400, by 1992 it was 4,619, and in 2002 the organiser recorded 8,000 entrants and 7,811 finishers, close to the 8,500 cap the race still works to.

The fancy dress and the wine came to define it, and the organiser, the Association pour le Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc, has leaned into both. Each edition has a costume theme, prizes go to the best outfits, and hand-pulled floats are allowed if the race director judges them safe. Around twenty tastings sit on the route, which the rules call “œno-sportif” stops and which come with repeated requests for moderation.

Serious running has always been part of it too. Sacha Lotov ran 2:19:20 in 1992, marked at the time as an event record, and Mohamed Ezzher ran 2:19:41 in 1999. The route has changed over the years, so the organiser keeps no single current course record. Florian Laplanche won the 2025 race in 2:27:11.

Cancellations during the pandemic broke the annual sequence, which is why the race that began in 1985 reached its 40th edition only in September 2026. The 41st is on Saturday 4 September 2027. The weekend around it now runs from Friday bib collection and two pasta dinners to a Sunday recovery walk, and one euro from every entry goes to two charities chosen each year.

The course

The race starts at 09:30 from the northern end of the Pauillac quays and finishes a few metres away. In between it runs one lap shaped like a figure of eight. The southern loop heads inland through the Pauillac vineyards, drops into Saint-Julien and Beychevelle, and returns up the Route du Haut Médoc through Bages to central Pauillac at km 21. The northern loop climbs into Saint-Estèphe, reaches its furthest point at km 34, 6.7 km from the start, and comes home along the Gironde.

The organiser calls the route “vallonné”, undulating, and publishes no climbing total. The whole course sits between sea level and 27 m. The longest rise is the first six kilometres, 22 m at 0.4%, and the steepest is a 1.6 km pull of 18 m out of the stream at km 26. The last six kilometres are flat, 1 to 5 m above the estuary. What slows people down is the rest: 24% of the route is on gravel vineyard tracks, the field is 8,500 strong and largely in costume, and there are 22 refreshment points and about 20 tastings to stop at.

Km 0 to 6: out of town and onto the plateau. The field leaves the quays heading west, passes Pauillac station at km 1 and turns south out of town onto the D206. From here the course rises gradually, 22 m over six kilometres, with the steepest kilometre the second, at about 1.1%. The high point of the day, 27 m, comes at km 5 in the vineyards south-west of Pauillac, beside Château Batailley on the organiser’s map. The first stop on the course is a breakfast point at km 3.4. The start is packed and slow, so let the first two kilometres go.

Km 6 to 15: down into Saint-Julien. The road then loses 18 m over eight and a half kilometres, too gradual to feel. Past Le Graveyron at km 8 the course swings east along the Route du Château Lagrange at km 10 and through Beychevelle, where it reaches its southern end around km 13, and bottoms out at 8 m by km 15. Tastings on the course sit at km 6.9, 9.0, 10.3 and 14.1, with water between them.

Km 15 to 21: north through Saint-Julien and Bages. The course turns north up the Route du Haut Médoc and passes Château Léoville-Barton near km 15. From km 16 it stays between 13 and 18 m, along the Route des Châteaux at km 18 and Route de Cordeillan at km 19 in Bages. At km 21 it runs through central Pauillac on Rue Jean Jaurès, about 400 m from the finish, with cannelés at km 21.3. Halfway falls here, and so does the first real test of the time limit: the organiser closes the course at halfway to anyone behind the sweep runners.

Km 21 to 28: the steepest climb. The northern loop leaves town north-west on the D205 and gains 16 m between km 21.5 and 23.5, then drops 17 m to a low of 6 m at km 26, where a stream marks the edge of Saint-Estèphe; the organiser’s map puts km 25 beside Château Lafite Rothschild. The road climbs straight back out: 18 m in 1.6 km, averaging 1.2% with one kilometre at 1.5%. That is the steepest sustained ground of the race, and on a hot afternoon it arrives at the point where many runners have already stopped several times.

Km 28 to 34: the Saint-Estèphe plateau. The course winds through Saint-Estèphe between 13 and 23 m, with tastings roughly every kilometre and a half on the course, at km 29.3, 30.7, 31.0 and 33.0. It follows the Route des Châteaux north from km 32 and reaches its furthest point at km 34, 6.7 km from Pauillac.

Km 34 to 42.2: the estuary and the food. The road falls 19 m between km 33 and km 36 to reach the Gironde, passing Château Meyney near km 35, then runs south on the flat for the final six kilometres, along the Route de Loudenne and into Pauillac on Boulevard Halimbourg. This is where the course serves its food: oysters at km 37.3, entrecôte at km 38.8, cheese at km 40.9 and ice cream at km 41.4. The finish is on the quays, and the line closes at 6 h 30 min of race time, whatever a runner’s position.

Chip timing reads each bib at six control points on the course, and only runners detected at all six are ranked. Wear the bib flat on the front of the costume, including when pushing a float.

Course Map

One lap, crossing itself in central Pauillac: the southern loop through Saint-Julien and Beychevelle, then the northern loop through Saint-Estèphe and back along the Gironde. Tap a marker for details, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.

Pacers

None. The organiser runs no pace groups, and on a course built around stopping they would mean little. The pace that matters is the time limit: the organiser’s sweep runners travel at 6 h 30 min pace and carry signs so they can be recognised. Ahead of them you are in the race; behind them you are out, and the course closes at halfway to anyone who has fallen behind. If you plan to stop at most of the tastings, bank time in the first half.

What to wear

Start with the costume, because nearly everyone else will. The 2027 theme is “Exploration Médoc, à la conquête du Monde !”, and the organiser asks that outfits stay family-friendly. Build it for six hours of running in warm weather. Breathable fabric against the skin, nothing that traps heat around the head or chest, and nothing that rubs under the arms or at the waist. Test it on a long run before race day, and test the shoes on gravel: almost a quarter of the course is on vineyard tracks that turn dusty when dry and muddy after rain. Road shoes are fine.

Heat is the bigger risk. September at Bordeaux-Mérignac averages 24.2°C at its warmest, with 12.5 days of the month reaching 25°C, and runners finishing near the limit are out until 16:00. Wear sun cream and a hat or cap that works with the costume, and plan to drink water at the refreshment points. The morning is usually mild enough to skip a throwaway layer, especially with the costume parade from 08:00 keeping people moving.

Entry

Entries for 2027 open in March 2027 on the organiser’s website, first come, first served, with 8,500 places and no ballot. The 2026 race filled, so register on the day entries open. A bib costs 110 euros. You enter through a runner account at marathondumedoc.com, individually or as a group of 2 to 30; a group has two days after paying to register each runner’s details, or the unassigned bibs are cancelled and refunded less a 13 euro fee.

The 2027 packages bundle the bib with the weekend’s paid events, each with a discount on the bib price:

• Pack Festif, 141 euros: bib plus the Friday Pâtes à Caisses dinner in Saint-Estèphe.
• Pack Initiation, 167 euros: bib plus the Friday Mille-Pâtes dinner.
• Pack Plaisir, 168 euros: bib plus the Sunday walk and lunch.
• Pack Prestige, 235 euros: bib, Mille-Pâtes dinner, Sunday walk and lunch.

The organiser’s partner agency, Tuttiquanti, sells all-inclusive packages with a bib, accommodation and transfers, which also open in March 2027. For a first visit without a Pauillac room, that is the simplest way in.

Two conditions catch overseas runners. You must be 20 or over on race day, which for 2027 means born before 4 September 2007. And every entrant needs a PPS, the Parcours Prévention Santé, an online health-awareness module from the French athletics federation that costs 5 euros and must be completed after 5 September 2026. The bib is not released without it.

Bibs cannot be passed on. Only the organiser can buy one back: you can get a refund, less a 13 euro fee, until 30 June, and after that only if you took out the cancellation cover. A runner who hands a bib to someone else is held responsible for any accident involving that person.

Fast Runner / GFA Standards

There is no guaranteed-entry or qualifying-time route. Every runner enters the same way, in March.

Race Weekend

Expo

Bib collection for 2027 is on Friday 3 September only, from 10:00 to 23:00 at the COSEC de Pauillac, the sports hall about 1 km south of the start, off Rue de la Verrerie. There is no Saturday collection, which means arriving in Pauillac on the Friday at the latest. Collection is in person only, with no group pickups. Bring the email the organiser sends at the start of August and photo ID. The bib is only handed over once a valid PPS certificate is on file, and the same email covers any extras you bought, such as dinner or walk wristbands.

The expo village sits beside the COSEC. In 2026 it opened from 10:00 to 20:00 with kit, food, stands for other races and wine workshops run by the École du Vin de Bordeaux. A separate Marathon Village of regional producers and winemakers runs beside the Maison du Tourisme et du Vin on the quays on Friday and Saturday.

Friday evening has two pasta dinners, both booked in advance. The Mille-Pâtes, limited to 1,450 guests, moves in 2027 to Château Fourcas Dupré in Listrac-Médoc, with doors at 19:00 and dinner at 20:00; entry is by the wristband issued at bib collection. The less formal Pâtes à Caisses runs from 19:00 at the Salle des Fêtes in Saint-Estèphe. In 2026 the organiser ran 5 euro buses from Pauillac to both, and 20 euro Friday buses from Bordeaux for bib collection, from the Allées de Bristol between 11:00 and 17:00 and from the Hôtel Pullman at Bordeaux Lac at 12:30 and 16:30.

Getting to the Start

The start is at the northern end of the Pauillac quays, near the Salle des Fêtes, at 09:30. From anywhere in Pauillac, walk. The quays are closed to traffic, and runners reach the start area through access points with a security check, so allow time for a queue.

By organiser bus from Bordeaux. In 2026 the official race-day buses left at 06:30 from Rue Ferrère in central Bordeaux and from the Hôtel Pullman at Bordeaux Lac, cost 28 euros and returned at 17:00 and 23:00. Booking opened in March and closed on 18 August. The 2027 timetable is not yet published, but expect the same pattern.

By regional shuttle. In 2026 the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region also ran a race-day coach from Bordeaux Quinconces, on the Allées de Bristol, at 06:15, arriving in Pauillac at 07:45 and leaving again at 17:45, for 4.50 euros. It could only be booked through the Cars33 app.

By train. TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine line 42 runs from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to Le Verdon and stops at Pauillac, around 1 hour 10 minutes from Bordeaux. Pauillac station is about 700 m west of the start, and the course passes it at km 1. Services are infrequent, so check the Saturday timetable for an arrival before 08:30.

By car. The 2026 town plan showed a supervised runners’ car park on the north side of Pauillac and a supervised coach park, with unsupervised parking elsewhere. Arrive early: the quays are closed, and several course roads shut for the whole 6 h 30 min. Floats and joëlettes had their own access to the start, open until 08:30.

The morning runs to a timetable. The costume parade takes place from 08:00 to 09:15, the advertising caravan sets off at 09:00, the start show begins at 09:15 and the gun goes at 09:30. A free bag store operates in the start and finish zone, and showers are available at the finish.

Nutrition on Course

The organiser lists 22 refreshment points. In 2026 they served water, cola, orange, bananas, sweet and salty biscuits, sugar and energy bars. Gels are not on the list, so carry your own if you rely on them. Rubbish goes in the bins at the refreshment zones only, since the route runs beside Natura 2000 protected land.

On top of that come around 20 wine tastings, poured in small measures and entirely optional, and the food stops. The organiser’s 2026 course places a breakfast stop at km 3.4, cannelés at km 21.3, oysters at km 37.3, entrecôte at km 38.8, cheese at km 40.9 and ice cream at km 41.4. The tastings are spread along the whole route, closest together in Saint-Estèphe between km 25 and km 35.

Treat water as the fuel and the wine as the occasional stop. Runners regularly report that the second half is harder than the costume-party image suggests: several hours in the sun, a stop at every château, and alcohol all add up, and heat is the usual problem. Decide beforehand which tastings you want, drink water at every refreshment point, and remember the steak and oysters arrive only after km 37. If you need to drop out, go to a refreshment point or a medical tent and a shuttle will take you to the finish. The 2026 medical cover included six medical tents on the course, doctors on quad bikes and 80 physiotherapists and podiatrists at the finish.

Spectating

The course is for runners only, and bicycles are banned from it, a rule enforced by the police. Supporters get their own route instead: a 26 km bike circuit that starts beside the Maison du Tourisme et du Vin on the quays and meets the race at twelve points. The organiser’s app shows your position on the circuit and tracks runners live, and the race is broadcast on the organiser’s web TV from 08:30 to 16:30.

In 2026 the circuit’s viewing points were open at these kilometres, with the time window in which runners were passing:

• Km 2, 09:35 to 10:15; km 6, 09:50 to 10:45; km 9, 10:00 to 11:15; km 11, 10:05 to 11:30.
• Km 16, 10:20 to 12:15; km 18, 10:30 to 12:35; km 20, 10:35 to 12:50.
• Km 22, 10:50 to 13:15; km 24, 10:50 to 13:30; km 31, 11:15 to 14:30.
• Km 39, 11:40 to 15:45; km 41, 11:45 to 16:15.

The leader is fast even if most of the field is not: in 2026 the first runner passed km 20 at 10:35, km 30 at 11:10 and km 40 at 11:35.

On foot from Pauillac. Watch the start from the quays, walk to Rue Jean Jaurès in the town centre to see runners pass at km 21, about 400 m from the finish, then return to the quays. The estuary road at km 39 to 41, on the bike circuit, is where the oysters, steak and cheese are served.

By bike. Ride out to km 6 or km 9 for the early field, cut across to Saint-Julien for km 16 or km 18, and come back in for km 39 or km 41. Bring your own bike or hire one in advance; the circuit is the only sanctioned way to follow the race on wheels.

Day trip from Bordeaux. Use the race-day bus or shuttle and stay in Pauillac for the day. The prize-giving is at 16:00 on the quays, weather permitting, and the evening continues until the last buses leave.

Post-Race Food

Many runners arrive at the finish having eaten oysters, steak, cheese and ice cream in the last five kilometres, so the first need is often water and a shower. After that, Pauillac keeps feeding people well into the night. The organiser’s programme has the Marathon Village next to the Maison du Vin serving food and drink all day, bars run by the organising association, the rugby club’s catering at the Maison du Vin from 12:00 to midnight, and the town’s own restaurants from the evening.

For a sit-down dinner, book weeks ahead. The Bistro des Vignes at the Hôtel des Vignes et des Anges overlooks the marina and is the obvious choice on the quays. The evening programme runs from a dance at 21:00 to fireworks over the Gironde at 22:30 and more dancing until 01:00, so an early table leaves time for all of it.

Where to Stay

The usual rule is to stay close to the finish, and here the finish is also the start, on the Pauillac quays. So the only real decision is whether you can get a room in Pauillac. It is a small town, and 8,500 runners plus their supporters arrive on one weekend.

Central Pauillac and the quays

Central Pauillac is the base to aim for. Bib collection is about 1 km away at the COSEC, the start and finish are on the quays, and the Saturday night fireworks go off over the water in front of you. Nothing needs a transfer, and a slow walk back after six hours on course is short. Rooms are scarce and go early.

Bages

Bages is a hamlet among the vines about 2 km south of the quays, home to Château Lynch-Bages and COMO Cordeillan-Bages, with a small bistro and shops. The course passes through it at km 19. It suits a quieter, more expensive stay, and the walk to the start takes about 25 minutes.

Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Julien

Saint-Estèphe, to the north, and Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, to the south, are wine villages that the course runs straight through. They work well for a longer stay in wine country with a car. On race day the car is the problem, since the course uses these villages’ roads for most of the morning. Plan to reach Pauillac before the closures.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, about 50 km south, has the most rooms, the airport and the high-speed rail station. Choose a hotel near where the official buses leave: in 2026 that meant Rue Ferrère and the Allées de Bristol by Quinconces in the centre, or the Hôtel Pullman at Bordeaux Lac. The cost is a departure around 06:30 on race morning and a return at 17:00 or 23:00.

Recommended hotels

Booking timeline

Book a refundable Pauillac room first, even before March, because rooms run out sooner than bibs. Enter on the day registration opens in March 2027, and add the Friday dinners or Sunday walk then, since the packages are cheaper than buying them separately. If you are staying in Bordeaux, book the official bus as soon as sales open; in 2026 that was March, with bookings closing on 18 August. Complete your PPS after 5 September 2026 and before bib collection, and book a restaurant table for Saturday night a month or more ahead. In the final week, check the heat forecast and try the costume on a long run.

See & Do

Pauillac is small, so everything close to the finish is walkable; the wider Médoc needs a car or an organised tour. Distances are from the finish on the quays.

Maison du Tourisme et du Vin

About 1 km (0.6 miles) south along the quays. The Médoc-Vignoble tourist office has information on château visits, a wine library and tastings, and the Marathon Village sets up beside it for race weekend. A good place to book a château visit for the Sunday or Monday.

Bages

About 2 km (1.2 miles) south. A restored hamlet in the vines beside Château Lynch-Bages, with artisan shops and a bistro. It makes a flat, short outing on Friday afternoon, as long as it does not turn into a day of tasting.

Château visits in Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Saint-Estèphe

The course passes some of the best-known estates in Bordeaux, and many of them take visitors by appointment. Early September is close to harvest, so estates may limit visits: book directly with each château, and do not expect to walk in.

La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux

About 50 km (31 miles) south. The wine museum on the Bordeaux riverfront covers the whole wine world, with a tasting at the top of the building. It suits a recovery day, being indoors with little walking.

Further reading

The Complete Bordeaux by Stephen Brook explains the appellations and estates the race runs through, which helps when choosing which tastings to stop for.

After the Race

Early September in the Médoc is warm and close to harvest, and the legs that ran 42 km on Saturday will want flat ground and short distances on Sunday. The organiser’s own recovery walk is the gentlest start, and Bordeaux, an hour and ten minutes away by train, is the easiest place to spend two quiet days before flying home.