Nice-Cannes Marathon 2026: your race pace set for November 8, on your Garmin

A point-to-point course, two bumps

Wave starts from 8:00 a.m. on the Promenade des Anglais, finish on the Boulevard de la Croisette: according to the organizers, 95% of the course runs along the sea, through Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, Antibes Juan-les-Pins and Vallauris Golfe-Juan. The climbing comes down to two bumps: Cap d'Antibes, roughly between miles 15.5 and 18.5 (high point 34 m, 112 ft), then a shorter climb after Golfe-Juan, past mile 21.5.

The organizers announce 100 m (330 ft) of total elevation gain and a 6-hour cutoff. The Cap d'Antibes bump comes when the legs start to stiffen: the plan answers with 2-to-3-minute hill repeats in the last six weeks.

Autumn heat and sea wind

In early November on the Côte d'Azur, it can already be mild at the start, given in waves between 8:00 and 9:15 a.m. New for 2026: no single-use cups on the course, with water drawn from the mains. Bring your own soft flask or reusable cup, and try it out on two long runs in light kit, drinking every 20 minutes.

The sea wind is unpredictable: head-on along a straight, it costs dearly on a course with no shelter. The instruction: low end of the pace range into the wind, never catching up.

Managing a point-to-point race

Unlike a loop, you never pass the same spot twice: no landmark to compare your two halves. The watch becomes your only judge. Schedule the plan's "Race" session with its pace range per segment.

• — 2-to-3-minute hill repeats, weeks 7 to 12.
• — Two long runs in light kit, water every 20 minutes.
• — Climb instruction: + 15 s/km, descent at target pace, never faster.

The pacing rule: first 2 miles at target pace plus 15 seconds per mile, target pace afterwards, plus 25 seconds per mile on the Cap d'Antibes bump and the climb after Golfe-Juan, without making it up on the descents.

Frequently asked questions