Marathon des Grands Crus.
The Marathon des Grands Crus runs out of Dijon and down the Route des Grands Crus - the wine road of the Côte de Nuits, whose villages are the names on the labels. As a course it is unspectacular: 256 metres of climbing, no steep section, and a height band of barely sixty metres. What makes it is what stands either side of the road.
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The course, elevation and route profile are from the most recent edition.
Marathon des Grands Crus: Course, Route Profile & Map
The start is at 08:30 on the Cours Général de Gaulle in Dijon, at 241 metres. The course leaves the city southwards and settles onto the foot of the Côte: through Chenôve, Marsannay-la-Côte, Couchey, Fixin and Brochon to Gevrey-Chambertin, on through Morey-Saint-Denis to the turn at Chambolle-Musigny, and back along the same axis.
The profile rises gently over the first thirteen kilometres from 241 to about 295 metres, then holds between 270 and 295, and falls back to Dijon over the closing ten. The only two rises the profile builder counts as climbs at all come at kilometres 20.7 and 24.5 and measure twelve and ten metres. Fifty-five per cent of the course is flat and there is no steep ground anywhere. The organiser publishes 234 metres of climbing.
One note on the route description: the organiser says the loop runs as far as Vougeot. The mapped turnaround is a good eight hundred metres short of it, effectively at the edge of Chambolle-Musigny - the exact point where the half marathon later starts. So the race covers the Côte de Nuits as far as Chambolle, not into the Clos de Vougeot itself. AM Sports runs the whole thing as a two-day festival, with its own inline-skating programme on the Saturday and the Sunday afternoon.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 20.7 | 0.3 km | 4 % | 5.3 % | +12 m | — |
| km 24.5 | 0.3 km | 3.1 % | 5.7 % | +10 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace Marathon des Grands Crus.
Start under control
A marathon with a sixty-metre height band and not one steep metre gives you nothing to work with. Its only real structure is direction: out and gently up onto the Côte, a long undulating middle, then back to Dijon and gently down. Run the first thirteen kilometres to effort rather than to the watch and concede a few seconds there, and you get them back from kilometre thirty-two.
Hold your rhythm
The trap is the middle, between kilometres fifteen and thirty. It undulates enough that pace drifts and is too shallow for the terrain to do the pacing for you; at the same time it runs through the prettiest villages on the course, with aid stations and spectators in every one. That is where races on this course are lost - not on a climb.
Spend what is left
The marathon is decided over the closing ten kilometres back to Dijon. They fall slightly, they are straight, and they arrive after more than thirty kilometres with no recovery from terrain at all. Run evenly to that point and you can negative-split it; drift through the middle and you are managing a descent you can no longer use.
Training plan for Marathon des Grands Crus: 12-week build
Build the base
For age-group runners the Marathon des Grands Crus is a three to five-and-a-half hour effort; the limit is six hours. The demand is a steady aerobic one with no anaerobic component - no climb that forces anything, no descent that hands recovery back.
Train race pace
The training emphasis is therefore race-pace endurance: long runs with forty to sixty minutes at marathon pace in the final third, and threshold runs of twenty to forty minutes. Hill training buys nothing across 234 metres.
Rehearse the course
What does pay is evenness on undulating ground. The middle of this course drifts constantly by a few metres, and the ability to hold effort rather than pace through that is the real performance factor. Put some long runs on gently rolling country roads and run them deliberately to heart rate or breathing.
Arrive fresh
Conditions are a mid-October Sunday morning in Burgundy: cool and frequently misty at the 08:30 start down on the Saône plain, mild as the day goes on, and with no meaningful shade or shelter on the open wine road. The vineyards are just past harvest, which for the course means open sightlines and open wind. On a race that begins in morning mist and ends in midday sun, clothing you can shed is not a detail.
Courses
Download the Marathon des Grands Crus course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for Marathon des Grands Crus dynamically
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Everything about Marathon des Grands Crus.
How long is Marathon des Grands Crus?
Marathon des Grands Crus is 42.2 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does Marathon des Grands Crus have?
Marathon des Grands Crus has around 256 m of elevation gain over 42.2 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of Marathon des Grands Crus?
Marathon des Grands Crus is classified as Flat, averaging 6.1 vertical metres per kilometre. 55% of the route is flat, 23% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does Marathon des Grands Crus have?
The hardest climb of Marathon des Grands Crus starts at kilometre 20.7, runs for 0.3 km at an average of 4% and gains 12 metres. 2 climbs are mapped in total.
Is Marathon des Grands Crus a loop course?
Yes, Marathon des Grands Crus is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Marathon des Grands Crus course?
Yes. The Marathon des Grands Crus course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for Marathon des Grands Crus?
Preparation for Marathon des Grands Crus should account for 42.2 km, 256 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for Marathon des Grands Crus?
The pacing strategy for Marathon des Grands Crus should reflect 42.2 km, 256 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does Marathon des Grands Crus next take place?
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The most recent one was held on October 11, 2026.
Where does Marathon des Grands Crus take place?
Marathon des Grands Crus takes place in Dijon, France.
Which distances does Marathon des Grands Crus offer?
Marathon des Grands Crus offers 3 distances — Marathon: 42.2 km; Semi-Marathon: 21.1 km; 10 km: 10 km.
How do I register for Marathon des Grands Crus?
Registration runs through the organiser: marathondesgrandscrus.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
