When is the Mascareignes 2026?

On Friday 16 October 2026, starting at 1 am from Hell-Bourg (second wave at 1:10 am), during the Grand Raid de La Réunion.

What are the Mascareignes cut-offs?

The time limit is 21 hours. In 2026, for the first wave, checkpoints close at 6 am at the Plaine des Merles, 10:35 am at Deux Bras, 3:35 pm at La Possession, 6:25 pm at La Grande Chaloupe and 10:15 pm at the finish, among others; the second wave gets 10 more minutes.

No. The Grand Raid rules ban poles of any kind, with penalties for breaking the rule.

Mascareignes (La Réunion): how many weeks of preparation?

For an athlete at intermediate level, Endu builds a 21-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 4 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.

Mascareignes (La Réunion) 2027: date, course and training plan

74 km · 3,800 m D+La Réunion2027 edition: date not announced yet

The Mascareignes is one of the five races of the Grand Raid de La Réunion. It starts in the middle of the night in Hell-Bourg, in the Salazie cirque, drops into the Mafate cirque via the Sentier Scout, then heads down to the coast and Saint-Denis: 74 km and 3,800 m of climbing, finishing at the Stade de la Redoute. Start on Friday 16 October 2026 at 1 am.

Your plan for Mascareignes (La Réunion)

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

Your level?

14-day trial, cancel anytime.

Mascareignes (La Réunion) at a glance

Date: 2027 edition: date not announced yet2026 edition: 16 October 2026
Formats: La MascareignesPlan below — 74 km and 3,800 m of climbing in 2026. Start at the Paul-Dominique-Hubert stadium in Hell-Bourg on Friday 16 October 2026 at 1 am (second wave at 1:10 am), finish at the Stade de la Redoute in Saint-Denis. Time limit: 21 hours. Poles are banned. 1,600 runners maximum. €160 in 2026.
Les autres courses du Grand Raid — The Diagonale des Fous (180 km, 10,200 m of climbing), the Trail de Bourbon (106 km, 6,200 m), the Métis Trail (51 km, 2,500 m) and the Zembrocal Trail, a 160 km relay for teams of four with 8,460 m of climbing.
Registration: The 2026 edition starts on 16 October; 2027 entries have not been announced yet. In 2026, entry cost €160, for a maximum of 1,600 places. To take part, you must be 20 or over on race day and have finished, within the period set by the organisers, a single-stage running race worth at least 40 km-effort points (1 km = 1 point, 100 m of climbing = 1 point: a 30 km trail with 1,000 m of climbing is worth 40 points). The bib is only issued once the medical certificate, the PPS or licence, and the qualifying points have been validated. It must be collected in person, with your full race pack and photo ID.
Official website: grandraid-reunion.com/fr/les-courses/la-mascareignes

The 2026 course

Start at the Paul-Dominique-Hubert stadium in Hell-Bourg (996 m). The course reaches the Bras Marron car park and the Mare d’Affouches hamlet, then climbs via Grand Sable and the Fleurs Jaunes and Bras des Merles ravines to the Plaine des Merles (1,808 m, km 16). It leaves the Salazie cirque by the Sentier Scout and drops into Mafate to La Plaque, Îlet à Malheur and its footbridge above the Bras Bémale, then Aurère. A long descent to the Rivière des Galets and the Deux Bras checkpoint (258 m, km 33), a hard climb to Dos d’Âne (818 m), then the Chemin Ratinaud and the Kalla trail down to La Possession (km 49). The Chemin des Anglais leads to La Grande Chaloupe (km 58), then Saint-Bernard, Le Colorado (682 m) and the La Vigie viewpoint, before the finish at the Stade de la Redoute, in Saint-Denis, after 74.7 km.

What the race asks of your training

A first climb in the dark

Starting at 1 am from Hell-Bourg (996 m), you climb to the Plaine des Merles, at 1,808 m, by km 16, with more than 1,000 m of climbing on this stretch alone and several tricky ravine crossings. A few long runs started in the middle of the night, by headtorch, prepare you for this opening section.

Steep, exposed descents

The Sentier Scout drops into Mafate, with a short exposed section protected by a cable, then the course descends to the Rivière des Galets (283 m) before the hard climb to Dos d’Âne, with a ladder and fixed handrails. Further on, the descent of the Kalla trail towards La Possession is very slippery. Without poles, which are banned, you need strong legs and confidence on technical descents: work on them on trails.

The coast in broad daylight

The second half is run in daylight, close to sea level: La Possession, the Chemin des Anglais paved with volcanic rock, La Grande Chaloupe, then the climb back up to Le Colorado (682 m) before dropping to La Redoute. The rules require at least 1.5 litres of water. Get used to drinking regularly while running and test your gels or drink in training, in hot weather if you can.

The plan below prepares the La Mascareignes 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: 21
sessions: 84
sessions / week: 4
peak week: 9.7 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 3–8 · 6 wk
Build
Weeks 9–13 · 5 wk
Specific
Weeks 14–18 · 5 wk
Taper
Weeks 19–20 · 2 wk
Race week
Weeks 21–21 · 1 wk

Volume progression

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

Wk	Phase	Hours	km	Elev.
1	General preparation	5.6 h	38	1,055 m
2	General preparation	5.9 h	39	1,228 m
3	Baserecovery	4.9 h	34	716 m
4	Base	6 h	40	1,189 m
5	Base	6.4 h	43	1,189 m
6	Base	6.6 h	44	1,378 m
7	Baserecovery	5.3 h	37	927 m
8	Base	6.6 h	43	1,465 m
9	Build	7.2 h	48	1,517 m
10	Build	7.5 h	48	1,707 m
11	Buildrecovery	5.9 h	40	1,167 m
12	Build	7.5 h	48	1,754 m
13	Build	8.2 h	50	1,992 m
14	Specific	8.5 h	53	2,073 m
15	Specificrecovery	6.7 h	45	1,404 m
16	Specific	8.5 h	52	2,139 m
17	Specific	9.3 h	57	2,339 m
18	Specific	9.7 h	61	2,278 m
19	Taper	6.1 h	40	1,319 m
20	Taper	4.8 h	35	440 m
21	Race week	3.4 h	28	73 m

Sample week — week 12 (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.

TuesdayModerate
3 × (8 min climb + 4 min descent)
51 min · 6 km
FridayEasy
1 h 05 easy
1 h 05 · 8.7 km
SaturdayEasy
Back-to-back long run
1 h 33 · 9 km
SundayEasy
Long run 4 h 03
4 h 03 · 24 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 21-week build (recommended minimum: 20); a longest run never more than 6% above the previous month’s; volume rising at most 9% from one week to the next; 94% of the time at easy effort; the longest session 3 weeks before the race; a taper cutting volume by 65% in race week.

2 worth knowing · 15 checks passed

Remarks

Strength training — No strength session.
Fueling — Long sessions (up to 290 min in this plan) are where race fueling is rehearsed.

The 15 checks passed, in detail

Length of the build — 21 weeks: enough for this race (recommended minimum: 20).
Sessions per week — 4 sessions a week: the minimum for this race is met.
Volume progression — Running volume rises at most 9% from one week to the next (a signal appears beyond 20%).
Long run increase — Each week, the longest run is at most 6% longer than the longest of the previous month (benchmark: 10%).
Lighter weeks — A lighter week comes back regularly (weeks 3, 7, 11, 15, 19).
Intensity distribution — About 94% 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.
Climbing in training — The plan prepares the climbs and descents (33 sessions with elevation).
Timing of the longest session — The longest session falls 3 weeks before the race: the right time.
Taper — Volume drops 65% 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%).
Climbing in the busiest week — The busiest week climbs 2339 m, for 3800 m on race day.

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.

Elevation as the central variable

Weekly climbing volume, long hilly runs, downhill technique and power-hiking for ultras: a trail plan is not a road plan with bumps.

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 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
“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
“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 Mascareignes (La Réunion)