Preparing for Marseille-Cassis 2027: date, entry, course and plan

When is Marseille-Cassis 2027 and how do you enter?

Marseille-Cassis 2027 should take place in late October 2027: according to the organizer, the race is traditionally held on the last Sunday of October, but the official 2027 date has not been published yet. Founded in 1979 by André Giraud and organized by the SCO Sainte-Marguerite club with the town of Cassis, it draws around 20,000 entrants from 80 countries and nationalities. Its official name is Marseille-Cassis - AG2R LA MONDIALE.

Bibs go fast: for the 2026 edition, online entries opened in March 2026 and the official website now shows the race as full. Two routes remained after that: bib resale on the Swika platform (16 June to 2 October 2026, with a waiting list) and Marseille-Cassis Solidaire, 1,000 bibs earned by raising at least €200 in donations for one of the four partner charities. 2026 prices from the race rules, excluding booking fees and options:

• — Individual entry: €75.
• — French Athletics Federation (FFA) members: €70, in a dedicated sale lasting at most 24 hours and capped at 1,500 places.
• — Groups (companies, associations, clubs, 20 to 100 bibs): €80; universities and colleges (10 to 50 bibs, 500 in total): €70.

The course: 12.4 miles over the Col de la Gineste

The Marseille-Cassis course starts on Boulevard Michelet, near Marseille's Vélodrome stadium, at 9 a.m., crosses the Calanques National Park for 7.5 miles and climbs to the Col de la Gineste, its highest point at 327 m (1,073 ft), before dropping down to Cassis. The finish is on the hills above Cassis, Avenue des Albizzi, among the vineyards.

Under the 2026 rules, each runner has 1 hour 30 minutes to pass the Col de la Gineste and 3 hours to complete the course, counted from the start of the last wave: an average pace of about 14:29 per mile. Bottles and hydration packs are allowed, and runner-only coaches bring you back from Cassis to Marseille or Aubagne from 11:30 a.m.

Seeded pens, waves and pacers

Marseille-Cassis starts in waves: in 2026 the first went at 9:00 a.m., the second at 9:05, then one wave every 8 minutes. Three seeded pens (under 1:20, 1:30 and 1:45) are granted on proof of performance, subject to space. For 2026 the official grid required, for example, a 20 km under 1:45, a half marathon under 1:50 or a marathon under 3:50 for the 1:45 pen, run between 1 September 2025 and 4 October 2026.

Twenty pacers were spread across the waves in 2026, for 1:30, 1:45, 2:00 and 2:15 targets. On this course their pace follows the profile: slower on the climb, faster on the descent to Cassis.

Preparing for Marseille-Cassis in 10 weeks with Running Workout

The Running Workout half marathon plan suits Marseille-Cassis: it lasts 10 weeks, with 3 or 4 sessions a week, and assumes you have already run at least 60 minutes non-stop in the last three months. For a race on the last Sunday of October, it starts around late August. Each session is sent to your watch through Garmin Connect, with paces worked out from your MAS (maximal aerobic speed).

Ask your connected assistant (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) for two adjustments. The plan has no hill session: ask for one a week during the development phase, in place of a quality session. And the plan's race-day workout is written for a half marathon: ask for a 12.4-mile workout guided by heart rate on the Gineste climb rather than by pace. The assistant builds it and sends it to your Garmin watch.

Frequently asked questions