Preparing for the 2026 La Rochelle Marathon: November's big French rendezvous

A flat two-loop course

Two loops around the Old Port, through Les Minimes and the Charruyer park: under 50 metres of climbing, re-accelerations at the turns and a westerly wind to handle on the seafront. The second pass in front of the port crowd, at the 30th kilometre, gives a boost.

Late-November temperatures are cool, often between 5 and 12 °C, with a risk of rain. The plan schedules a long run in the rain in your race kit: better to discover chafing in training than at the 30th kilometre.

The calendar from September

A late-November race is prepared from August for 16 weeks, or from early September for 12. It is the back-to-school plan par excellence: the peak load falls in October, with ideal temperatures for long runs.

The AI coach sets the plan length from the exact date you give it and from your volume read on Garmin. It starts with a numbers portrait to confirm: sessions per week, kilometres, longest run, VMA and its source.

Pacing strategy and the westerly wind

The route alternates sheltered city sections and an exposed seafront. The instruction: target pace in town, low end of the range into the wind, never forcing to catch up. Over two loops, what you lose on the first pass you get back on the second.

• — Km 1 to 3: target pace + 10 s/km.
• — Km 4 to 35: target pace, low end of the range into the wind.
• — Km 36 to 42: by feel, the port crowd carries you.

The watch carries the pace range per segment. Schedule the plan's "Race" session: it alerts you if you go out too fast in the excitement of the Old Port.

Frequently asked questions