Marathon Poitiers-Futuroscope

The Race

History

Since 2004 this marathon has started in the old centre of Poitiers and ended at Futuroscope, the park of giant screens and glass buildings 9 km to the north. The 2027 race, on Sunday 11 April, is the 21st, so the count has skipped some years along the way. It is organised by the Association du Marathon Poitiers-Futuroscope, which is based at the park.

The marathon is now one race in a full weekend. There is also a half marathon, a four-person marathon relay, free 5 km and 10 km runs under the name Tout Poitiers Court, and the Marathon des Collégiens, in which teams of schoolchildren share the distance at Futuroscope. More than 7,500 adults ran in 2026, and over 9,000 people counting the schools event. For 2027 the marathon is capped at 2,000, the half at 4,000 and the relay at 250 teams.

Both course records fell in 2026: Guillaume Ruel won the men’s race in 2:18:58 and Camille Chaigneau the women’s in 2:39:25. The record for visually impaired runners, who start five minutes before the main field, is 2:47:09, set by Nicolas Bompard in 2014. The race holds the French athletics federation’s National Silver label and pays prize money to the first five men and women. What sets it apart for a travelling runner is the park: two Futuroscope tickets come with every entry.

The course

The marathon starts on Place du Maréchal Leclerc at 09:00 and finishes on Avenue du Futuroscope in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, 9 km to the north. The first 28 km stay in and around Poitiers: two different loops to the south-west, each running down below the Parc de Blossac, out to the edge of Saint-Benoît and back through the old town. Each loop ends by crossing the start square, at km 13.6 and km 27.2. From km 28 the course leaves the plateau, crosses the Clain at km 30 and heads north up the valley through Buxerolles and Chasseneuil to the park.

The organiser publishes no climbing figure, and the course is not flat. Poitiers sits on a plateau at about 120 m. Each loop drops about 30 m to the valley floor below Blossac, then climbs about 35 m over 2.5 km to Saint-Benoît; the high point, 129 m, comes at km 8.6. At km 28 the course falls 42 m in a kilometre to the river. The Clain valley from km 30 to km 39.8 is almost level, between 65 and 85 m, and the last 2 km climb 24 m to the finish.

Km 0 to 13.6: the first loop. From the square the field runs north past Notre-Dame-la-Grande at km 1.2, then back south through the old town. At km 2.6 the road drops 31 m in under a kilometre to Boulevard Sous Blossac, on the valley floor below the park. Avenue de la Libération then climbs 35 m over 2.5 km to the edge of Saint-Benoît at km 6, and the course carries on to the high point of 129 m at km 8.6. It comes back through the western districts, climbs Avenue de la Libération a second time and recrosses the start square at km 13.6, where the relay runners change.

Km 13.6 to 27.2: the second loop. The second loop is a different route over the same ground. It passes Notre-Dame again at km 14.8 and then makes the steepest descent of the loops: 29 m in 500 m down to Boulevard Sous Blossac at km 17. The climb out is the same 34 m over 2.5 km to Saint-Benoît at km 20, followed by Rue de Vouneuil and Rue des Joncs. Halfway comes on this south-western side of the city. The loop ends, like the first, on Place du Maréchal Leclerc at km 27.2.

Km 27.2 to 30.3: down to the Clain. The course passes Notre-Dame a third time and at km 28 runs off the edge of the plateau, falling 42 m in about a kilometre. Hold back here: it is steep enough to hurt the quads with 14 km still to go. At km 30.3 the road crosses the Clain.

Km 30.3 to 39.8: up the valley. A short 14 m rise takes the course into Buxerolles at km 31. From there it heads north-east, beneath the Viaduc du Clain at km 33.7 and along the Route de Saint-Georges into Chasseneuil-du-Poitou. The last relay change is at the Rond-Point de Bonnillet, km 35.4. At km 38.1 the course crosses back over the Clain, close to the low point of 65 m. This is the flattest part of the race, and the crowds are thinner than in the city.

Km 39.8 to 42.2: the climb to Futuroscope. Past the Futuroscope station the course turns back south-west and climbs 24 m in 2 km, about 1.2%, through the business park beside the resort. The finish is on Avenue du Futuroscope. Medals, food and bags are there, with showers at the Gymnase de l’ENSMA.

Course Map

Two loops through Poitiers, both returning across the start square, then down to the Clain and north up the valley to Futuroscope. The map also shows the Marathon Village, the stations and the shuttle stops. 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 and start pens

The start is split into pens by target time: elite under 2:30, preferential (red) about 2:40, then yellow 3:00, blue 3:15, mauve 3:30, green 3:45, grey 4:00, pink 4:15 and white for over 4:30. The elite and preferential pens need a recent qualifying time and the organiser’s approval. The organiser’s page is headed “pens and pacers”, but it had not named pacers for 2027 by September 2026, so do not count on a pace group at your time.

What to wear

April in Poitiers is cool and changeable. Météo-France records an average high of 16.3°C and low of 5.4°C for April at Poitiers-Biard, with 52.8 mm of rain on about nine days, and frost on two mornings in an average April. The record is 29.3°C, set on 30 April 2005, so a warm race is possible. With a 09:00 start, most runners begin in single figures and finish in the low to mid teens.

Dress for a cool spring race and check the forecast in race week. Bring an old top to wear in the square before the start, and a light rain jacket if showers are forecast. The Clain valley after km 30 is more open than the city streets, so wind matters there. There are no toilets on the course, so use the ones at the start. The rules do not mention headphones; bicycles and roller skates alongside runners are banned.

Entry

Entry is online only, with no ballot, until 23:59 on Monday 5 April 2027 or until the 2,000 places are gone; the organiser can close entries early. The price rises as places sell: 60 euros for the first 400 entrants, 65 euros for the next 400, 70 euros for the next 900 and 75 euros after that, plus booking fees. FFA licence holders get 3 euros off. There is no race-day entry. Enter early for the lower price.

Adults need either an FFA competition, company or running licence valid on race day, or a PPS certificate, the federation’s online health module, completed less than a year before the race. The race pack includes the two Futuroscope tickets, the event top, a finisher’s medal, bag transport to the finish and showers. Shuttle seats, extra park tickets at half price and pasta party tickets are added when you enter.

Cancellation cover costs 9 euros and pays out only with a medical certificate or other proof listed in the rules. To pass your place to someone else, email the organiser; switching to a more expensive race means paying the difference, and switching to a cheaper one brings no refund. Wheelchair athletes are not allowed in the marathon, although other disabled runners are welcome, and joëlettes and adapted chairs can take part, starting behind the field with up to six bibbed companions.

Fast Runner / GFA Standards

There is no guaranteed-entry route. A recent fast time can earn a place in the elite or preferential pen at the front, subject to the organiser’s approval, but it does not reserve an entry.

Race Weekend

Expo

The Marathon Village is in Hall A of the Parc des Expositions de Grand Poitiers, 11 rue Salvador Allende, on the eastern side of the city, 2.6 km from the start square. It opens on Friday 9 April 2027 from 16:00 to 19:30 and Saturday 10 April from 09:00 to 19:00. Bibs cannot be collected on Sunday morning, and none are posted.

Bring your bib collection card, sent by email in race week, and photo ID. Collect your bib first, then the park tickets and pasta party tickets from their own stands, then the event top. Someone else can collect for you with your card, a copy of your ID and a signed note. Parking is free, with 1,500 spaces, and there is a food truck on the Saturday.

Getting to the Start

The marathon starts at 09:00 on Place du Maréchal Leclerc, with visually impaired runners away at 08:55. Hand in your bag at the start; it is taken to the finish at Futuroscope. The pen colours match the target times listed under Pacers and start pens.

From a hotel in central Poitiers. Walk. The old town hotels are a few minutes from the square, and Poitiers station is about 600 m away, uphill.

From Futuroscope. Book the organiser’s Vitalis shuttle when you enter: 3 euros a person, up to five people including you. Your bib shows your booking, and companions use a wristband or your collection card. Buses leave from Boulevard Louis Braille beside the Hôtel Altéora, not from the Palais des Congrès, and drop runners at the Gare Viaduc Léon Blum stop, a short walk from the start. The departure times for 2027 had not been published in September 2026; they are fixed once announced, so do not be late.

By car. The organiser encourages car-sharing. Expect road closures along the course, so check the organiser’s mobility and parking pages for 2027 before you set out.

Nutrition on Course

Full aid stations are every 5 km, at km 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40. The organiser’s FAQ lists Jolival water, Overstim.s sports drink, orange juice, cola, Mieltonia gingerbread, dried prunes and apricots, oranges and bananas. The rules place extra water points halfway between stations from km 30, at 32.5 and 37.5; the FAQ lists them from km 7.5. Plan on the first half having water only every 5 km and treat anything extra as a bonus.

No gels are listed, so carry your own and take them before the stations at km 15, 25 and 35. The fast drop at km 28 and the final climb are where fuel counts. Water ramps were added in 2026 to speed up refilling. There are no toilets on the course.

Spectating

Place du Maréchal Leclerc is the best place to watch: the runners pass it three times, at the start, km 13.6 and km 27.2. The finish is 9 km away, and supporters can use the organiser’s 3 euro shuttle, booked on the runner’s entry, from the Gare Viaduc Léon Blum stop to Boulevard Louis Braille near the finish. The 2027 shuttle times were not out in September 2026, so check them before planning around a bus.

Plan A: the square three times, then the finish. Watch the start, have a coffee, and come back to the square. A 4-hour runner passes at about 10:17 and 11:35, a 3:30 runner at about 10:08 and 11:15. Then walk to the Viaduc Léon Blum stop for the shuttle to Futuroscope; the 4-hour runner finishes at about 13:00.

Plan B: Bonnillet and the finish, by car. The Rond-Point de Bonnillet in Chasseneuil is at km 35.4, where the last relay leg starts; a 4-hour runner passes at about 12:21. From there it is a short drive to Futuroscope. A Vitalis stop, Bonnillet Lavandière, is beside the roundabout, but check the Sunday timetable before relying on it.

Plan C: stay at Futuroscope. Stay in the resort and watch the race on the big screen at the Palais des Congrès du Futuroscope, then walk to Avenue du Futuroscope for the finish. This suits families with the park tickets.

Post-Race Food

Food is laid on at the finish, and the showers are at the Gymnase de l’ENSMA, so there is no rush. For a proper meal nearby, La Cuisine de Marie, the restaurant in the Mercure hotel on the Téléport, is the obvious sit-down choice. The Hôtel Altéora, beside the shuttle stop, has a bar and restaurant and makes a good meeting point for a group. The park’s own restaurants are open to anyone with a ticket.

Check Sunday opening for 11 April before relying on any of them. Back in Poitiers, the streets around the start square and Place Charles-de-Gaulle, by Notre-Dame, have plenty of restaurants for the evening.

Where to Stay

The usual rule is to stay near the finish. This race is point to point, and the finish is at a theme park 9 km outside the city, so the better choice for most runners is central Poitiers. You can walk to the start, your supporters can see you three times on the same square, and the organiser’s shuttle brings you back from Futuroscope afterwards. Stay at Futuroscope only if the park matters more than an easy morning.

Place du Maréchal Leclerc and the old town

The old town around Place du Maréchal Leclerc and the Hôtel de Ville is the easiest base: the start is on the square, the course returns there twice, and restaurants are close. Rooms are limited, so book early, and pick one away from the bars if you want a quiet Saturday night.

Notre-Dame and Place Charles-de-Gaulle

The streets around Notre-Dame-la-Grande, 500 m north-east of the start, are just as walkable and a little quieter. The church itself is closed for restoration until May 2027, but its carved front is on the square.

The station district

The area around Poitiers station, below the old town to the west, is best for TGV arrivals and departures. The start is about 600 m away, uphill, and the Viaduc Léon Blum shuttle stop is close.

Futuroscope and the Téléport

The Futuroscope resort has most of the organiser’s partner hotels, all close to the finish and the park. Race morning means the shuttle from Boulevard Louis Braille or a drive into Poitiers, so this suits families who want park days on either side of the race.

Chasseneuil-du-Poitou

Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, the small town next to the park, has more hotels for anyone with a car. It has the same long transfer to the start.

Recommended hotels

Booking timeline

Enter early, both for the cheaper price bands and because the field is capped at 2,000, and book a refundable room the same day. The few hotels on and near the start square go first. The organiser’s partner-hotel page still showed 2026 rates in September 2026; check it again once the 2027 offers appear. Futuroscope hotels are larger but also sell to ordinary park visitors on an April weekend. Book the TGV when tickets for April go on sale, and complete your PPS in the months before the race if you have no FFA licence. In race week, watch for your collection card, the shuttle times and the forecast.

See & Do

Four in the old town around the recommended hotels, and the park at the finish.

Notre-Dame-la-Grande (outside only)

About 0.5 km (0.3 miles) from the start. The west front of this 12th-century church is covered in carved figures and is the most famous sight in Poitiers. The church is closed for restoration until May 2027, so on race weekend you can only see it from Place Charles-de-Gaulle.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre

About 0.8 km (0.5 miles) from the start. The large Gothic cathedral is open every day, roughly 09:00 to 17:00 in winter and later in summer. A short visit inside is easy on the legs.

Baptistère Saint-Jean

About 0.7 km (0.4 miles) from the start, on Rue Jean-Jaurès, near the cathedral. One of the oldest Christian buildings in France. From January to April it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 14:00 to 16:00, so Saturday afternoon works; it is closed on Mondays.

The old town

At the start. The streets between Place du Maréchal Leclerc, the Hôtel de Ville and Notre-Dame are good for an hour’s walk on the Saturday. The town sits on a hill, so keep it short before the race.

Futuroscope

About 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from the finish. The park behind the finish, with its film-based rides and shows, is the reason for the two tickets in your race pack. Check the 2027 ticket dates before planning your visit.

Reading

Eleanor of Aquitaine, by Alison Weir. A biography of the duchess who held court in Poitiers and married two kings, one of France and one of England. It gives the old town you run through its medieval background.

After the Race

Mid-April in western France is early spring: mild days, cool evenings and showers. Poitiers is on the high-speed line between Paris and Bordeaux, so trips carry on easily without a car. Keep the first day after the race short, and save the park and the châteaux, both long days on your feet, until your legs have recovered.