Baloise Namur Marathon: Course, Route Profile & Map

Course & Elevation

The start is at Wépion, the strawberry village on the Meuse south of Namur. The course follows the river through the narrow Meuse valley, where the rock walls stand on both sides while the road itself barely climbs: the whole route sits between 75 and 93 metres above sea level.

At roughly halfway you reach Profondeville, where the half marathon starts – the long course's turning point. Shortly after, at kilometre 18.4, comes the only classified climb of the race: 330 metres at seven percent, touching almost twelve at its steepest. On a course whose profile is otherwise a line, that is a genuine interruption.

The rest is river running back into Namur, the Walloon capital at the confluence of the Meuse and the Sambre, under its Citadelle. The finish is on the Avenue Sergent Vrithoff, where the half marathon and the 10K also come in. The marathon is part of a weekend with a Saturday programme, and the race supports KickCancer, for which the 10 km is named.

Pacing Strategy

A marathon with 135 metres of climbing and 82 percent flat ground is run on even splits – nothing here structures your pace for you. Set your goal pace before the start and hold it two or three seconds under for the first ten kilometres; the opening out of Wépion rolls easily, and that is the temptation.

The only real interruption is the ramp at kilometre 18.4. At 330 metres it is short, but it comes exactly where a marathon starts to bite, and on an otherwise flat course a twelve-percent pitch feels twice as steep. Run it on effort and accept the ten or fifteen seconds it costs.

The race is decided in the final third down the Meuse valley. It is flat, straight and thin on spectators for long stretches, and the valley channels the wind – into a headwind you will run many kilometres with no shelter. Find a group, keep fuelling to a rhythm, and save something for the closing kilometres in Namur, where the crowds thicken again.

Training plan for Baloise Namur Marathon: 12-week build

As an age-group runner you will be out for three to five hours. The effort is one continuous aerobic run with a single short spike; on a point-to-point course in a river valley there are no climbs to unload the muscles and no descents to change your stride.

The race is decided over kilometres 30 to 42 in the open valley, where neither terrain nor crowds contribute anything and the wind is the real opponent. The ramp at kilometre 18 is a detail by comparison – but a detail you need some strength for if your training has been entirely flat.

So the emphasis is marathon-pace volume: long runs of 28 to 34 kilometres with 12 to 20 at goal pace in the back half, plus a weekly threshold run of 20 to 40 minutes. Do at least two long runs on a flat, wind-exposed riverside route, and add a few short hill efforts of 300 to 400 metres at six to eight percent, entered at race pace.

Early April on the Meuse usually brings eight to 15 degrees, changeable weather and wind in the valley. The start is on a Sunday morning, in the cool part of the day, with a transfer out to Wépion beforehand – plan for the waiting time in the cold, keep a throwaway layer, and test wet-weather kit under pace in advance.