Seine-Marathon 76.
The Seine-Marathon 76 is run on the valley floor at Rouen, and its profile contains exactly one movement - a rise to a little over forty metres that the marathon takes at kilometre eleven and again at kilometre thirty-three. Everything else happens between four and ten metres above sea level along the Seine.
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The course, elevation and route profile are from the most recent edition.
Seine-Marathon 76: Course, Route Profile & Map
Start and finish are on the low quays of the left bank, at the Prairie Saint-Sever beside the Pont Boieldieu. The course crosses the Seine into the historic centre of Rouen and then runs out, as the organiser puts it, into the surrounding communes along the river.
The profile has two halves, but not the ones you would expect: instead of one half up and one down, the same shape repeats twice. From four metres at the start the course rises to about forty-one metres by kilometre eleven, drops back to river level, and from kilometre thirty-three exactly the same rise arrives a second time. The total is 201 metres over 42.6 measured kilometres, just under sixty per cent of the course is flat, and there is not one steep metre anywhere.
Rouen sits in a Seine valley with steep wooded slopes on both sides, but you would not know it from this course - it stays down on the floor. 2026 is the eighth edition, and the weekend is unusually cut: the 5 km and 10 km are run in the dark on Saturday evening, while the marathon, half marathon and the corporate relay all go off together at 08:30 on Sunday morning.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|
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 Seine-Marathon 76.
Start under control
The only place this course asks for anything comes twice, and that is the key to it. The rise to forty metres at kilometre eleven is insignificant on fresh legs; the same rise at kilometre thirty-three is not. Run it at race pace the first time and you will have a problem the second time, at exactly the point where a marathon gets hard anyway.
Hold your rhythm
The second point is the shared start. At 08:30 the marathon, the half and the four-person corporate relay all go off together, and relay runners cover their ten kilometres at a pace that will not work for you over forty-two. Over the opening kilometres on the quays, the field around you is not a reference.
Spend what is left
The race is decided between kilometres twenty and thirty-three, on the flat riverside stretch before the second rise. Nothing there - not the terrain, not the crowds - gives the effort any structure, and the quays are long and straight. Hold cadence and effort through it and you reach the second climb with something left; drift, and you find out from kilometre thirty-three.
Training plan for Seine-Marathon 76: 12-week build
Build the base
For age-group runners the Seine-Marathon 76 is a three to five-and-a-half hour effort. The demand is a steady aerobic one with no anaerobic component: no steep section, no climb that forces a change of gear, and just under sixty per cent flat.
Train race pace
The training emphasis is accordingly race-pace endurance on flat ground - 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 here.
Rehearse the course
Specific to this course, one session is worth shaping around the repetition: the same moderate rise twice inside a single long run, once early and once after thirty kilometres, both taken at race effort. What that trains is not strength but the knowledge of how differently the same forty metres feel at two different points in a race.
Arrive fresh
Conditions are a late-September Sunday morning in Normandy: mild, often damp, frequently misty along the Seine in the first hours, with an 08:30 start. If you are also running on the Saturday evening, note that fewer than twelve hours separate the 21:00 10 km from the marathon gun - the two days are designed as separate races, not as a double.
Courses
Download the Seine-Marathon 76 course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for Seine-Marathon 76 dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about Seine-Marathon 76.
How long is Seine-Marathon 76?
Seine-Marathon 76 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 Seine-Marathon 76 have?
Seine-Marathon 76 has around 201 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 Seine-Marathon 76?
Seine-Marathon 76 is classified as Flat, averaging 4.7 vertical metres per kilometre. 59% of the route is flat, 20% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
Is Seine-Marathon 76 a loop course?
Yes, Seine-Marathon 76 is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Seine-Marathon 76 course?
Yes. The Seine-Marathon 76 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 Seine-Marathon 76?
Preparation for Seine-Marathon 76 should account for 42.2 km, 201 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 Seine-Marathon 76?
The pacing strategy for Seine-Marathon 76 should reflect 42.2 km, 201 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 Seine-Marathon 76 next take place?
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The most recent one was held on September 27, 2026.
Where does Seine-Marathon 76 take place?
Seine-Marathon 76 takes place in Rouen, France.
Which distances does Seine-Marathon 76 offer?
Seine-Marathon 76 offers 5 distances — Marathon: 42.2 km; Semi-Marathon: 21.1 km; Marathon Relais Entreprises: 42.2 km; 10 km: 10 km; 5 km: 5 km.
How do I register for Seine-Marathon 76?
Registration runs through the organiser: seinemarathon76.fr. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
