When is the 2026 Corrida de Houilles?

On Sunday 27 December 2026, for the 54th edition. Children’s races from 1:00 pm, the 5K at 2:00 pm, La Populaire (10K) at 3:15 pm, the Course des As (elite 10K) at 5:00 pm, then fireworks at 6:00 pm.

Where does the Corrida de Houilles start?

On Rue Gambetta, in the centre of Houilles, near the Parc Charles-de-Gaulle; the finish is in the town centre. Access by RER A, or Transilien lines L and J, to Houilles-Carrières-sur-Seine station.

Where and when do you collect your bib?

At the race village, on Saturday 26 December, 10 am to 6 pm, or on Sunday 27 December from 10 am until one hour before your race starts. The organisers advise coming the day before to avoid the crowds.

Until when can you enter?

Until 11:59 pm on Sunday 13 December 2026 on Protiming, unless the race sells out before then, which the organisers say happens often. No on-site entries.

What is the difference between La Populaire and the Course des As?

Same course and same price. La Populaire (3:15 pm) is open to everyone, with a common pen beyond one hour. The Course des As (5:00 pm) brings together the international elite; its pens go up to 45 minutes, each requiring proof of performance.

Corrida de Houilles: how many weeks of preparation?

For an athlete at intermediate level, Endu builds a 11-week preparation. If your race is closer, the plan compresses phases while keeping the taper; if it's further away, it lengthens the preparation, and when the gap is large the preparation starts right away, gently and at your current volume, before building up.

How many sessions per week?

This example has 4 sessions per week. You choose 3 to 7 training days and the exact days (e.g. Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun): the plan sticks to them.

I'm a beginner, is this plan for me?

The plan adapts to your declared level (beginner to semi-pro): starting volume, progression and intensity change. Endu also offers a "Discovery" mode without a race to build a base first.

Can I follow sessions on my watch?

Yes, on Garmin and COROS. On Garmin, the Endu app (Connect IQ Store) shows today’s session and starts it as a guided workout. On COROS, link your account from your profile: your running, trail and cycling sessions land in the watch calendar. Other brands are not supported yet.

How much does it cost?

14-day free trial, then €7.99/month with no commitment or €59.88/year (€4.99/month). Unlimited objectives and sports.

Corrida de Houilles 2026: date, course and training plan

10 kmHouilles2026 edition: 27 December 2026

The Corrida pédestre internationale de Houilles, in the Yvelines, 8 km west of Paris, is the end-of-year 10K where runners of every level share the day with international athletes. The 54th edition is on Sunday 27 December 2026: a 5K, a 10K for everyone (La Populaire), an elite 10K (La Course des As), children’s races, then fireworks. The courses carry the FFA Gold label and the World Athletics road race label and qualify for the French championships; in 2025, Yann Schrub won the Course des As in 27:19 and Klara Lukan in 31:14.

Your plan for Corrida de Houilles

8 weeks to go: your plan starts this week, set to your level and free days, then adapts to your feedback after each session.

Your goal time?

14-day trial, cancel anytime.

Corrida de Houilles at a glance

Date: 2026 edition: 27 December 2026
Formats: La PopulairePlan below — 10 km on road, 3:15 pm start, open to everyone from the under-18 category. Two 5 km laps, 32 m of climbing. Time limit: 1h15. Aid station at km 5 and at the finish. Pens for under 40 minutes, 50 minutes and 1 hour with proof of time, a common pen beyond that. €22 for FFA licence holders, €24 otherwise, €2 off for Houilles residents.
La Course des As — Elite 10K, 5:00 pm start, at nightfall, on the same course. Elite pen by invitation, then pens for under 31, 33 and 37 minutes, and from 37 to 45 minutes, all requiring proof of performance. Same prices as La Populaire.
5 km — One 5 km lap, 16 m of climbing, 2:00 pm start, open from the under-16 category. Time limit: 45 minutes. €15 (FFA licence holders) or €17.
Courses enfants — Free, from 1:00 pm around the Parc Charles-de-Gaulle: 600 m (born 2018 or later), 1,200 m (2016-2017) and 2,000 m (2014-2015).
Registration: Registration online only on Protiming, now open; it closes on Sunday 13 December 2026 at 11:59 pm, or earlier if a race fills up (La Populaire was 58% full on 17 October). No on-site entries. Adults without a licence need a PPS health pass (€5, valid for a year, at pps.athle.fr); FFA Athlé Compétition, Running and Entreprise licences exempt you, Santé, Encadrement and Découverte licences do not. Enter your PPS or licence number when registering, otherwise bring the certificate to bib pick-up. Bibs are personal: only the official bib exchange platform lets you pass yours on. Pick-up at the race village on Saturday 26 December, 10 am to 6 pm, or on Sunday 27 from 10 am until one hour before your start.
Official website: corrida-de-houilles.fr

The 2026 course

Start on Rue Gambetta, in the centre of Houilles, near the Parc Charles-de-Gaulle. The 10K runs the 5 km loop twice: it heads east (km 1), turns north to near the D308 (km 2), runs west (km 3), comes back along the railway line (km 4) and returns to the centre (km 5, aid station). The second lap is identical, with the finish in the town centre. Climbing: 32 m over 10 km, 16 m over 5 km. Roads are closed to traffic during the races.

What the race asks of your training

A 10K built for a fast time

A measured, almost flat (32 m of climbing) town course: it is a race for a personal best. Key sessions are MAS work in short reps and 10K pace in 1 to 2 km blocks with short recoveries, to hold a high rhythm without surges.

Two laps of the same loop

The 10K runs the 5 km loop twice. The first lap is your benchmark: start at your target pace, no faster, and keep something back to speed up on the second. A 2 × 5 km session, the second one slightly faster, prepares you for this pattern.

A build-up through Christmas

A race on 27 December puts the final week just after Christmas. Do your last big 10K-pace session about ten days before, then ease off: a few quieter holiday days cost nothing, a complete break does.

Racing in the afternoon, in the cold

La Populaire starts at 3:15 pm and the Course des As at 5:00 pm, as night falls and the temperature drops. Do one or two 10K-pace sessions at the same time of day to time your last meal, and plan a longer warm-up, well wrapped up, before entering your pen.

The plan below prepares the La Populaire format, for an athlete at intermediate level with 4 days available per week, with race day on 27 December 2026. Aiming for another format? Enter its distance when you create your plan, which will be calibrated on your level, your available days and your feedback after every session.

weeks: 11
sessions: 44
sessions / week: 4
peak week: 4.2 h

Plan structure

Periodised in phases: build the base, move to race-specific work, then taper before the race.

Base
Weeks 1–4 · 4 wk
Build
Weeks 5–7 · 3 wk
Specific
Weeks 8–9 · 2 wk
Taper
Weeks 10–10 · 1 wk
Race week
Weeks 11–11 · 1 wk

Volume progression

Week by week: lighter recovery weeks are built in to absorb the load.

Wk	Phase	Hours	km
1	Base	2.5 h	25
2	Base	2.7 h	26
3	Base	2.9 h	29
4	Base	3.1 h	31
5	Build	3.4 h	35
6	Buildrecovery	2.6 h	26
7	Build	3.6 h	37
8	Specific	3.9 h	40
9	Specific	4.2 h	44
10	Taper	2.5 h	25
11	Race week	2.3 h	23

Sample week — week 7 (Build)

Real sessions from the plan with their targets. Each session is detailed step by step, and can be sent to a Garmin or COROS watch.

MondayEasy
37 min easy
37 min · 6 km
TuesdayHard
5 × 5 min at threshold
1 min jog recovery
55 min · 10.2 km
FridayVery hard
3 × 1 km at MAS
3 min jog recovery
47 min · 8.5 km
SundayEasy
Long run 1 h 18
1 h 18 · 12.6 km

Example generated for a intermediate-level profile (MAS 15 km/h, 4 days available per week). Your plan will depend on your level, availability and feedback.

This plan’s check-up

Pass

A 11-week build (recommended minimum: 6); a longest run never more than 7% above the previous month’s; volume rising at most 11% from one week to the next; 87% of the time at easy effort; a taper cutting volume by 45% in race week.

2 worth knowing · 14 checks passed

Remarks

Lighter weeks — 5 loading weeks in a row without a lighter week (up to week 5).
Strength training — No strength session.

The 14 checks passed, in detail

Length of the build — 11 weeks: enough for this race (recommended minimum: 6).
Sessions per week — 4 sessions a week: the minimum for this race is met.
Volume progression — Running volume rises at most 11% from one week to the next (a signal appears beyond 20%).
Long run increase — Each week, the longest run is at most 7% longer than the longest of the previous month (benchmark: 10%).
Weight of the long run — The long run keeps a reasonable share of the week.
Intensity distribution — About 87% of the time at easy effort: the most common distribution among trained endurance athletes.
Demanding sessions — No more than 2 demanding session(s) a week: suited to the level.
Hard days back to back — Demanding sessions are separated by easy days.
Rest days — At least one rest day a week.
Easy run pace — Easy runs are truly easy (slower than 5:43/km).
Race-specific work — 4 race-specific sessions in the last block.
Taper — Volume drops 45% in race week.
Intensity during the taper — Short race-pace efforts remain in the last two weeks.
Frequency during the taper — The number of sessions stays close to usual (100%).

Endu runs its own plans through the plan check open to everyone: same public rules, same thresholds, same sources. The rules and their sources, and a check of your own plan.

Why this plan works

Science-based periodisation

Base → build → specific → taper, with a recovery week every 3 to 4 weeks. Load goes up, but never two hard weeks in a row without a breather.

Paces, not vague feelings

Every session has target zones (pace, HR) computed from your MAS or a reference performance. A MAS test is built into the plan if you don't know yours.

A plan that listens

After each session you rate how it felt (RPE). Too hard? The plan eases what follows. Skipped a session? It reschedules or absorbs it.

On your watch

On Garmin with the Endu app, on COROS by direct sync: the guided workout shows up on your wrist, step by step.

Reviews

What our users say.

4.8/5

“I used to spend more time looking for a plan than following one. Now I have my sessions, I know what to do and I stick to it. Really glad I tried it.”
Thomas · Running
“Training for my first half marathon and honestly, I’m getting into it! I even look at my next sessions ahead of time, when before I was mostly looking for an excuse not to go out 😂”
Camille · Running
“Simple to follow and really handy with the watch. I start my session and off I go.”
Julien · Running
“I took Endu to prepare a trail race with friends. I really like having my week already organised: it motivates me and I enjoy my runs more.”
Émilie · Trail
“What I like is no longer asking myself a thousand questions before going for a run. I follow the plan and I enjoy training.”
Nicolas · Trail
“With work and the kids, I thought I’d struggle to follow a plan. In the end, having a structure helps me a lot. Running has found a real place in my week again, and it feels good!”
Julie · Trail
“A good find to prepare my swimrun! It’s nice to find a plan for this sport. I’ve recommended it to my teammate.”
Antoine · Swimrun
“I run more regularly and, above all, with more desire. For that alone, I’m delighted.”
Laura · Swimrun
“For triathlon, having all three sports in the same schedule really makes my life easier. I spend less time organising my training and I still enjoy following it just as much.”
Maxime · Triathlon
“At first I just wanted to try it. Now checking the next day’s session has become my little evening ritual 😊”
Sarah · Triathlon

Your plan, not a template athlete's

This plan is generated for an athlete at intermediate level with 4 days available per week. Yours will be calibrated on your MAS, your available days and your feedback after every session. 3 minutes. 14-day trial, cancel anytime.

Create my plan for Corrida de Houilles