When is the 2026 Lille Marathon?

On Sunday 25 October 2026, starting at 11:15 am. The half marathon starts the same morning at 8:30 am.

Where and when does the Lille Marathon start?

At 215 Boulevard de la Liberté in Lille, at 11:15 am, a single start for all pens. The marathon bag drop is open from 6:30 to 10:15 am; the finish is on the Esplanade du Champ-de-Mars, where bags can be collected until 6 pm.

Where do I collect my bib for the Lille Marathon?

At the exhibitors’ village on the Esplanade du Champ-de-Mars: Thursday 22 October, 2 pm to 8 pm, and Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, 10 am to 8 pm. On Sunday 25, from 8 to 9:30 am, only for marathon runners who chose that option when registering. Bring your collection card and ID; someone else can collect it for you with these documents.

What is the Lille Marathon time limit?

6 hours, with three cut-offs: km 10 in 1h25, halfway in 3 hours and km 30 in 4h16.

What is the route of the 2026 Lille Marathon?

It crosses central Lille, then heads south through Faches-Thumesnil, Loos, Emmerin, Noyelles-lès-Seclin, Houplin-Ancoisne and Seclin, and comes back through Templemars, Wattignies and Faches-Thumesnil before finishing at the Champ-de-Mars. About 20 km are run inside Lille.

Marathon International de Lille: how many weeks of preparation?

For an athlete at intermediate level, Endu builds a 17-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.

Marathon International de Lille 2027: date, course and training plan

42.2 kmLille2027 edition: date not announced yet

The Lille Marathon returns on Sunday 25 October 2026, 31 years after its last edition, under the name Trek Marathon de Lille. Organised by the Hauts-de-France athletics league on the same day as the half marathon, it starts on Boulevard de la Liberté at 11:15 am, heads south out of Lille as far as Seclin and comes back to finish at the Champ-de-Mars, near the Citadel. 20,000 runners are expected at the start.

Your plan for Marathon International de Lille

A plan set to your level and free days, which adapts to your feedback after each session.

Your goal time?

14-day trial, cancel anytime.

Marathon International de Lille at a glance

Date: 2027 edition: date not announced yet2026 edition: 25 October 2026
Formats: MarathonPlan below — 42.195 km, FFA Gold label, single start at 11:15 am for all pens. Time limit: 6 hours, with cut-offs at km 10 (1h25), halfway (3 hours) and km 30 (4h16). Aid stations every 5 km from km 5, plus extra refreshment points at km 27.5, 32.5 and 37.5. Open to runners born before 31 December 2009. €60 to €75 plus fees, depending on when you registered.
Semi-marathon — 21.1 km on the same morning, starting at 8:30 am from the same place. Time limit 2.5 hours, cut-off at km 15 at 1h47. 15,000 starters, sold out.
Registration: Sold out for 2026. Registration was online until 4 October 2026: €60 for the first 1,000, €65 until 1 March, then €75 (plus fees), with a 5% discount for FFA licence holders and free entry for eligible Hauts-de-France league members. An FFA licence (Compétition, Entreprise or Running) or a PPS health pass less than a year old is required. The official resale closed on 4 October, and running on someone else’s bib means disqualification. Nothing is announced for 2027 yet.
Official website: marathon-lille.com/les-courses/marathon.html

The 2026 course

Start at 215 Boulevard de la Liberté. The course passes the Grand Palais (km 1), Lille-Flandres station and the Grand-Place (km 2 and 3), takes Rue Nationale and Boulevard Vauban, skirts the Citadel district (km 5 to 7), then crosses Wazemmes and Moulins to the Porte d’Arras (km 11). It then leaves Lille to the south: Faches-Thumesnil and Loos (km 14 to 16), Emmerin (km 17 to 19), Noyelles-lès-Seclin (km 20 and 21), Houplin-Ancoisne, then the centre of Seclin around km 25. Back through Templemars (km 28), Wattignies (km 29 to 31), Faches-Thumesnil and the Porte de Douai (km 35), Euralille and the Grand Palais (km 37), the city centre and Place de la République (around km 40), then Boulevard de la Liberté to the finish on the Esplanade du Champ-de-Mars.

What the race asks of your training

A build-up through the summer

To race on 25 October, a 16-week build-up starts in early July: the long runs fall in August and September. Doing them early in the morning avoids cutting them short in the heat, and judging your marathon pace on times skewed by it.

A late-morning start

The marathon starts at 11:15 am, nearly three hours after the half marathon and later than most marathons. Breakfast, the wait and the warm-up have to be planned differently: doing one or two long runs at the same time of day, with the same meal, lets you test that rhythm before race day.

Very flat, with a drag towards Wattignies

The organisers describe the course as “ultra flat” and publish no elevation figure. The official track only shows a gentle rise from Seclin to Wattignies, roughly between km 25 and km 31, then a gentle descent back to Lille. Finishing long runs with a few kilometres at marathon pace prepares you to hold the rhythm at that point.

Cut-offs to watch

Cut-offs at km 10 in 1h25, halfway in 3 hours and km 30 in 4h16, for 6 hours overall: you need to hold about 8:30 per km from the start. For a first marathon aimed at 5h30 or more, your easy long runs should show that you can hold this pace without walking.

The plan below prepares the Marathon format, for an athlete at intermediate level with 4 days available per week. Until the official date is out, the example is set for October 2027. 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: 17
sessions: 67
sessions / week: 4
peak week: 5.7 h

Plan structure

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

General preparation
Weeks 1–2 · 2 wk
Base
Weeks 3–7 · 5 wk
Build
Weeks 8–11 · 4 wk
Specific
Weeks 12–14 · 3 wk
Taper
Weeks 15–16 · 2 wk
Race week
Weeks 17–17 · 1 wk

Volume progression

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

Wk	Phase	Hours	km
1	General preparation	3.3 h	33
2	General preparation	3.5 h	35
3	Baserecovery	2.7 h	27
4	Base	3.7 h	37
5	Base	3.9 h	39
6	Base	4.1 h	41
7	Baserecovery	3.2 h	32
8	Build	4.4 h	44
9	Build	4.6 h	47
10	Build	4.9 h	50
11	Buildrecovery	3.8 h	39
12	Specific	5.1 h	51
13	Specific	5.4 h	54
14	Specific	5.7 h	57
15	Taper	4.1 h	41
16	Taper	3.2 h	31
17	Race week	2.2 h	22

Sample week — week 9 (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
30 min easy
30 min · 4.8 km
TuesdayHard
3 × 10 min at threshold
2 min jog recovery
1 h 01 · 11.4 km
FridayVery hard
6 × 600 m at MAS
2 min jog recovery
52 min · 9.6 km
SundayEasy
Long run 2 h 13
2 h 13 · 21.5 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 17-week build (recommended minimum: 12); a longest run never more than 8% above the previous month’s; volume rising at most 7% from one week to the next; 89% of the time at easy effort; the longest session 3 weeks before the race; a taper cutting volume by 61% in race week.

2 worth knowing · 16 checks passed

Remarks

Strength training — No strength session.
Fueling — Long sessions (up to 160 min in this plan) are where race fueling is rehearsed.

The 16 checks passed, in detail

Length of the build — 17 weeks: enough for this race (recommended minimum: 12).
Sessions per week — 4 sessions a week: the minimum for this race is met.
Volume progression — Running volume rises at most 7% from one week to the next (a signal appears beyond 20%).
Long run increase — Each week, the longest run is at most 8% longer than the longest of the previous month (benchmark: 10%).
Lighter weeks — A lighter week comes back regularly (weeks 3, 7, 11, 15).
Weight of the long run — The long run keeps a reasonable share of the week.
Intensity distribution — About 89% 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 — 8 race-specific sessions in the last block.
Timing of the longest session — The longest session falls 3 weeks before the race: the right time.
Taper — Volume drops 61% 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.

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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 Marathon International de Lille