Marathon de Nantes

Location: Nantes
Country: France
Website: https://www.marathondenantes.com/
2025 Marathon Date: 27/04/2025
2026 Marathon Date: 26/04/2026
Winning Time 2025: 02:25:59
% Sub-3s: 2–5%
# Sub-3s: 100–499
Total Runners: 3k–10k

The Marathon de Nantes is one of western France’s premier road races, held each spring in the city of Nantes. With a start and finish in the heart of the city, the race offers a varied urban course that moves through riverbanks, historic streets, and modern boulevards.

The route includes long stretches along the Loire and Erdre rivers, giving runners ample flat terrain and open views, but it also weaves through tight city corners and occasionally undulates across bridges. The surface is uniformly tarmac, with no cobbles or gravel. While the course is not entirely flat, the gradients are gentle and rarely sustained, making it accessible for well-paced sub-3 attempts.

Nantes itself is an atmospheric host. Runners pass major landmarks such as the Château des Ducs de Bretagne and Île de Nantes, with solid crowd support in central zones and through neighbourhoods. While quieter residential stretches feature fewer spectators, volunteers and signage maintain a clear route and rhythm.

April weather in Nantes tends to be temperate, often ideal for long-distance racing. The race starts early enough to avoid midday warmth and is typically supported by well-spaced aid stations and marshals. The Marathon de Nantes maintains a professional feel without being overwhelming in scale.

For sub-3 runners, the event offers a mix of pacing challenges and strategic opportunities. There’s enough space in the field to run your own race, and the number of fellow fast runners is significant without being overwhelming. It’s neither a pure time-trial course nor a heavily tactical one—it sits in the middle ground.

The Marathon de Nantes is a dependable and enjoyable option for runners looking to race hard in France without the crush of Paris or the extremes of the southern coast. With competent organisation, scenic riverside segments, and a stable spring date, it remains a strong choice for committed amateur athletes.