SaintéLyon 2026: the complete guide (course, cut-offs, kit, logistics)

Saturday 28 November, 11:30 pm, Parc des Expositions in Saint-Étienne. Eight thousand head torches switch on at once, and France's oldest trail race sets off for its 72nd edition: a whole night crossing the Monts du Lyonnais to reach the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon in the early morning.

The 2026 SaintéLyon has been sold out since mid-September, with around 25,000 people on the waiting list. The course has been thoroughly reworked, a new format makes its debut, and the total field reaches 20,000 bibs. Here is everything you need to know to run it, or to follow it.

The 2026 edition at a glance

What's new in 2026

A course more than 40% new. This is the headline announcement of this edition. The organisers talk of a distance "around 80 km" and an elevation gain "of at least 2,000 m"; the specialist press mentions 2,400 m. For comparison, the 2025 edition was around 80 km with 1,950 m of climbing, and the 2024 edition 82 km with 2,300 m. The GPX track and final profile are due in October: until then, be wary of precise distances, including those of the aid stations, which the official website still lists unchanged from previous years.

The SaintéVia, a new 35 km format. It starts in Mornant, with around 650 m of elevation gain, on a course that follows the Roman aqueduct of the Gier. One thousand bibs, opened at the end of April.

A younger, more female race. According to figures the organisers gave to Lyon Capitale, women make up 30.2% of entrants (three points more than in 2025) and the average age drops from 36 to 34. Foreign participation is capped at 2%.

The 2026 formats

Entry fees as per the official rules. Minimum age: 20 (18 for the SaintéTic).

The Lyon SaintéLyon deserves a word: runners leave Lyon on Saturday morning, must reach Saint-Étienne in under 13 hours (before 10:30 pm), then set off again with the SaintéLyon field for the night-time return, subject to the same cut-offs. Two head torches, a watch loaded with the GPS track of the outward leg and the LiveTrail app are mandatory.

The solo course, aid station by aid station

Distances taken from the official race page, and liable to change with the new course.

The start and the climb to Saint-Christo. You leave Saint-Étienne by road before reaching the first tracks of the Monts du Lyonnais. This is historically where the race's highest point lies, at around 760 m. In a field of several thousand head torches, the temptation is to go off too fast: the first kilometres are run in single file, and the bottlenecks on the first narrow trails cost more time than you might think.

Saint-Christo → Sainte-Catherine. The wild heart of the race: forest tracks, meadows, muddy sections when it has rained, icy ones when it freezes. This is usually the coldest stretch, in the middle of the night. Sainte-Catherine is also the start of the SaintExpress: the trail gets busier just afterwards.

Sainte-Catherine → Soucieu-en-Jarrest. The terrain becomes rolling rather than mountainous, but the repeated short climbs and changes of pace wear down the legs. The Le Camp aid station, at Saint-Genou, serves drinks only: carry something to eat.

Soucieu → Chaponost → Lyon. The end of the race drops down towards the Rhône valley. The last kilometres, on tarmac and through the urban area, are dreaded: after 60 km of mud in the dark, the quads struggle with the long descents and the changes of pace on the road. This is where places are won and lost, and where many people walk.

How the cut-offs work

The cut-offs are clock times, applied on leaving the aid stations. They are eliminatory, with immediate repatriation by shuttle. The organisers calculate them on a pace of 5.2 km/h from the start of the last wave. In practice, a runner in the last wave moving at 5.5 or 6 km/h, including stops, stays within the limits; below an average of 5 km/h, the margin melts away quickly, especially if mud slows down the descents.

To estimate your own split times based on your level and the elevation of each section, use our trail time predictor.

Mandatory kit

For the solo SaintéLyon and the relays, the rules require:

• a running pack;
• a mobile phone, with the LiveTrail app installed and activated (strongly recommended);
• a personal cup of at least 15 cl (no disposable cups at the aid stations);
• at least 1 litre of water at the start;
• a head torch with spare batteries or battery pack (two head torches for the ultra);
• a survival blanket of at least 1.40 × 2 m;
• a whistle;
• an adhesive elastic bandage of at least 100 × 6 cm;
• a food reserve;
• a hooded waterproof jacket;
• an identity document.

The organisers may also activate an extreme cold kit: protective glasses, a hat, warm waterproof gloves, waterproof overtrousers, a second warm layer and sturdy, closed trail shoes. The decision is made based on the weather in the preceding days: have it ready anyway.

Two rules to remember:

• Poles are strictly forbidden, on pain of immediate disqualification.
• Receiving food outside the designated zones, or dropping litter more than 100 m from an aid station, means disqualification. Personal assistance is forbidden, except for elites at Sainte-Catherine and Soucieu.

The rules say nothing about microspikes or chains. In icy years, many runners opt for shoes with aggressive lugs rather than chains, which are uncomfortable on the 35% of tarmac.

To make sure you forget nothing, start from our ultra checklist and add the items above.

The weather, the race's real opponent

At the end of November in the Monts du Lyonnais, anything can happen, and the history of the SaintéLyon is partly told through its weather:

• 1990: snowstorm, race stopped at Sainte-Catherine, 96 finishers out of 900 starters;
• 2010: heavy snow returns;
• 2018: almost continuous rain, many withdrawals;
• 2022: a "muddy and freezing" race, rain, fog and the first snowflakes;
• 2023: -5 to -7 °C at the start, snow and ice;
• 2024: mild weather, but thick fog in the second half;
• 2025: sleet just before the start and "liquid mud" on the trails.

The cold is all the more treacherous because the effort is intermittent: you sweat on the climbs, then cool down in the queues at the aid stations and on the descents you walk. The golden rule: a quick-drying base layer, a warm layer in your pack, spare gloves.

Logistics

Bib collection at the Halle Tony Garnier, on Friday 27 November from 12 pm (until 7 pm or 8 pm depending on the documents) and on Saturday 28 from 9 am to 5 pm. Bibs are not posted; a third party can collect yours with the required documents.

Medical certificate: a French Athletics Federation (FFA) licence or Pass Running, or failing that the PPS (Parcours Prévention Santé, the federation's online health-prevention course), to be obtained at pps.athle.fr. Without it, no bib.

Shuttles. For the solo SaintéLyon and the Relay of 2, the shuttle from Lyon to Saint-Étienne is paid for and must be booked when you register. It is included for the SaintExpress, the SaintéSprint and the SaintéTic. For relays of 3 and 4, the organisers recommend travelling by car, with a "Pass Relais" for the car parks at Saint-Christo and Soucieu; cars are banned at Sainte-Catherine. The 2026 timetables will be published on each race's page.

Before the start. Pasta party at the Parc des Expositions in Saint-Étienne on Saturday from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. Bag drop at the start area (solo runners only), to be collected at the finish. Note: metal objects and cutlery are not allowed in the Parc Expo.

At the finish. Changing rooms, showers and the finish meal at the Halle Tony Garnier, which also hosts the Salon du Trail Running all weekend.

Deadlines. Changing race and requesting cancellation or deferral insurance: before 17 November. Bib transfer: until 23 November (the replacement pays the current rate plus €10).

Strategy: five tips to finish (well)

1. Don't go out at your usual trail pace. Darkness, crowds, cold and mud slow you down noticeably compared with a daytime run on the same elevation. Base your plan on a realistic time rather than on your best performance of the year.
2. Train at night. At least two or three long runs by head torch in the preceding weeks: managing your lighting, your footing, and your alertness around 3 or 4 am, the moment your body craves sleep.
3. Eat before you are hungry. The cold suppresses appetite and the night throws off your usual cues. Aim to take something every 30 to 45 minutes, and carry food that doesn't freeze and can be eaten with gloves on.
4. Choose versatile shoes. A third of the course is on tarmac, the rest can be a mudbath: you need grip, but also cushioning for the final descent into Lyon.
5. Save your legs for the last 15 kilometres. Chaponost-Lyon is harder than it looks on the profile. Runners who get there with something left in reserve often gain hundreds of places.

For the preparation itself, our trail training plans adapt to the race date and your current volume.

Benchmark times

The all-time records date from a shorter, faster course of around 63 km: Jean-Franck Proietto in 4:19:55 in 1994 for the men. On the modern course of around 80 km, there is no official record, as the route changes almost every year. Recent benchmarks:

The withdrawal rate remains remarkably stable: 7.4% in 2024 and 2025, 8% in 2023, according to LiveTrail data compiled by u-Trail. The SaintéLyon is demanding, but it is a race people finish, provided they respect the night and the weather.

On the historical roll of honour, Michel Delore holds the record for victories with eight wins between 1970 and 1980, ahead of Jérôme Trottet (five). Among the women, Maud Gobert has won four times (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014), as did Martine Blandin and Ginette Baudrand in the 1980s. The 2026 elite field will be unveiled from 15 October.

Seventy-four years of history in a few dates

• 1952: Justin-Marie Cuzin, president of the CT Lyon, organises a timed 75 km hike over two days, from Lyon to Saint-Étienne. Fifteen starters.
• 1953: first edition in a single stage, starting at midnight.
• 1957 → 1977: running is banned by the rules; the event is a walk. Running is only allowed from 1977.
• 1991: the race takes the name SaintéLyon and the Saint-Étienne → Lyon direction.
• 2010: creation of the SaintExpress; 2013: the SaintéSprint; 2016: the SaintéTic.
• 2015: the finish moves to the Halle Tony Garnier.
• 2019: the Lyon SaintéLyon, the 160 km out-and-back, becomes official.
• 2020: edition cancelled (Covid).
• 2024: 70th edition, 20,000 bibs.
• 2026: creation of the SaintéVia.

How to follow the race

Live tracking is via LiveTrail: the link is published on the saintelyon.com home page and on social media on race day, and the app lets you follow a runner by name or bib number. Every runner wears a timing chip; failing to be recorded at a checkpoint means disqualification. In 2025, the race was also streamed on video from 10 pm to 7 am. The leading men are expected in Lyon around 5 am, after just under six hours of racing, the leading women about an hour later; the last finishers arrive until the finish closes, in mid-afternoon.

All formats, dates and links are also on our SaintéLyon 2026 race page.

Sources: SaintéLyon — official website · 2026 rules · SaintéLyon race page · Practical information · History of the event · Lyon Capitale · Journal du Trail · u-Trail · Référence Trail · Stadion