When is the SaintéLyon 2026?

On Saturday 28 November 2026: the 80 km starts at 11:30 pm from Saint-Étienne, with finishes in Lyon through the night and the morning of Sunday 29. The weekend begins on Friday 27 with bib pick-up and the trail running expo at the Halle Tony Garnier.

How long is the SaintéLyon 2026?

Around 80 km and at least 2,000 m of climbing: the course changes every year and the race page puts the Lyon finish at km 82. The exact climbing and the 2026 GPX track have not been published yet.

Why does it start at night, and what kit is mandatory?

The race is designed as a night crossing between the two cities: it starts at 11:30 pm and is run by headtorch. The rules require, among other things, a pack, a charged phone, a 15 cl cup, a water reserve of at least 1 litre, a headtorch with spare batteries, a survival blanket, a whistle, an elastic bandage, a food reserve, a hooded waterproof jacket and photo ID. The cold-weather kit is added if the organisers activate it.

Do you need spikes or special shoes?

The 2026 rules say nothing about spikes or chains: they call for sturdy, closed trail shoes in the cold-weather kit, and they ban poles. Depending on the weather, the course can be muddy, frosty or snowy: trail shoes with a well-lugged sole, already worn on long runs, are better than road shoes.

Where and when do you collect your bib?

At the Halle Tony Garnier, Place des Docteurs-Mérieux in Lyon (7th arrondissement), on Friday 27 November from 12 noon and on Saturday 28 November from 9 am to 5 pm, with photo ID and the pick-up card sent by email. No postal delivery; someone else can collect your bib with a copy of your ID. The shuttle from Lyon to the Saint-Étienne start is not included in the solo 80 km entry: you book it when you register.

SaintéLyon: 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.

SaintéLyon 2026: date, course and training plan

82 km · 2,000 m D+Saint-Étienne2026 edition: 28 November 2026

The SaintéLyon links Saint-Étienne to Lyon overnight in late November, along the ridges of the Monts du Lyonnais: around 80 km and at least 2,000 m of climbing, by headtorch from the start until the early morning. First held in 1952, it is the biggest race of the weekend, with nearly 8,000 runners starting the solo 80 km. The 2026 edition starts on Saturday 28 November at 11:30 pm.

Your plan for SaintéLyon

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

Your level?

14-day trial, cancel anytime.

SaintéLyon at a glance

Date: 2026 edition: 28 November 2026
Formats: SaintéLyon (80 km)Plan below — Around 80 km (finish at km 82 on the race page) and at least 2,000 m of climbing, on a course that changes every year. Start in Saint-Étienne on Saturday 28 November 2026 at 11:30 pm, in waves of up to 1,500 runners every 10 minutes until 12:30 am; finish in Lyon, at the Halle Tony Garnier. Five aid stations. Open to runners aged 20 and over. €125 in 2026, full.
Lyon SaintéLyon (160 km) — The out-and-back: start at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon on Saturday 28 November at 9 am, about 82 unranked km to Saint-Étienne, a meal and rest, then the night return to Lyon, which alone is ranked. Up to 800 runners. €235 in 2026.
Relais 2, 3 et 4 — The SaintéLyon course as a relay for teams of two, three or four runners. €150, €180 and €225 per team in 2026, full.
SaintExpress (45 km) — Start in Sainte-Catherine at 11 pm, three aid stations (Le Camp, Soucieu-en-Jarrest, Chaponost) before Lyon. €78 in 2026, full.
SaintéVia (35 km) — New in 2026: start in Mornant at 10:30 pm, along the Roman aqueduct of the Gier, about 650 m of climbing (630 m in the page’s key facts), 1,000 places. €68 in 2026.
SaintéSprint, SaintéTic et SaintéGones — SaintéSprint: about 24 km at night from Soucieu-en-Jarrest (€50). SaintéTic: 13 km from Chaponost at 10:30 pm, from age 18 (€30). SaintéGones: children’s races from 300 m to 3 km on the Friday evening, around the Halle Tony Garnier.
Registration: Online registration on the sports107 platform, through the “Je m’inscris” link on the official site. For 2026, the solo SaintéLyon, the three relays, the SaintExpress, the SaintéSprint and the SaintéTic are full; a waiting list is open, and the Lyon SaintéLyon and the SaintéVia were still open on 17 October 2026. 2026 price for the solo 80 km: €125, with optional cancellation cover (€20). An FFA licence (Athlé Compétition, Athlé Entreprise or Athlé Running), a Pass running or a PPS is required: no entry is recorded without that number. No ITRA points or UTMB Index are required; the UTMB Index is only used to place runners in the elite and performance pens of the first wave. Bibs can be transferred until 23 November 2026, from your account. 2027 registration has not been announced yet.
Official website: saintelyon.com/races/80km-saintelyon

The 2026 course

Start in Saint-Étienne on Saturday 28 November at 11:30 pm, in waves until 12:30 am; the organisers’ shuttles drop runners at the Parc des Expositions. The course climbs onto the ridges of the Monts du Lyonnais and passes five aid stations: Saint-Christo-en-Jarez (km 17, food), Sainte-Catherine (km 32, food), Le Camp – Saint-Genou (km 46, drinks only), Soucieu-en-Jarrest (km 60, food) and Chaponost (km 67, food). It then drops towards Lyon and the Halle Tony Garnier, at km 82, with at least 2,000 m of climbing in all. Cut-offs, in clock time and when leaving each aid station: 4 am at Saint-Christo, 7 am at Sainte-Catherine, 9:30 am at Le Camp, 12 noon at Soucieu and 1:30 pm at Chaponost; finish by 4 pm according to the race page, while the rules close all courses at 4:30 pm. The 2026 GPX track has not been published yet.

What the race asks of your training

Running through the night

Start at 11:30 pm, finish in the early morning for most: the whole race is run by headtorch, at the hour your body wants to sleep. A few long runs started in the evening, and one or two night runs on trails, teach you to hold a steady pace in the dark, to keep eating through tiredness and to get your lamp settings right.

Late-November cold

In late November, on the ridges and in the middle of the night, it can be very cold, with mud, frost or snow depending on the year. The rules include a cold-weather kit (warm waterproof gloves, hat, waterproof overtrousers, an extra warm layer) that the organisers can make mandatory. Do your last long runs in the layers you will wear on race day, with a loaded pack.

A long, runnable trail, without poles

About 2,000 m of climbing over 80 km: much of it is runnable, on tracks and small roads. Easy endurance running and long runs matter more than big climbs, with hills run during your sessions. Poles are banned: strengthen your legs for the late descents towards Chaponost and Lyon.

Generous but real cut-offs

The cut-offs are based on 5.2 km/h from the last start: they leave time, but they apply when you leave each aid station and you are out if you miss one. For a race on 28 November, a 12- to 16-week build-up starts between August and early September: your longest long run falls around late October.

The plan below prepares the SaintéLyon (80 km) format, for an athlete at intermediate level with 4 days available per week, with race day on 28 November 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: 21
sessions: 84
sessions / week: 4
peak week: 10.9 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	6.4 h	45	615 m
2	General preparation	6.6 h	46	792 m
3	Baserecovery	5.2 h	36	435 m
4	Base	6.6 h	45	792 m
5	Base	7.2 h	50	744 m
6	Base	7.5 h	52	919 m
7	Baserecovery	5.9 h	41	591 m
8	Base	7.5 h	51	1,026 m
9	Build	8.1 h	54	1,052 m
10	Build	8.6 h	57	1,026 m
11	Buildrecovery	6.6 h	48	693 m
12	Build	8.6 h	57	1,238 m
13	Build	9.3 h	61	1,220 m
14	Specific	9.8 h	64	1,246 m
15	Specificrecovery	7.5 h	52	766 m
16	Specific	10 h	66	1,527 m
17	Specific	10.5 h	70	1,412 m
18	Specific	10.9 h	72	1,618 m
19	Taper	6.9 h	49	748 m
20	Taper	5.4 h	39	249 m
21	Race week	3.6 h	30	41 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
40 min easy
40 min · 5.3 km
SaturdayEasy
Back-to-back long run
2 h 03 · 13 km
SundayEasy
Long run 5 h 02
5 h 02 · 33 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 10% above the previous month’s; volume rising at most 9% from one week to the next; 97% of the time at easy effort; the longest session 3 weeks before the race; a taper cutting volume by 67% in race week.

2 worth knowing · 16 checks passed

Remarks

Strength training — No strength session.
Fueling — Long sessions (up to 360 min in this plan) are where race fueling is rehearsed.

The 16 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 10% 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 97% 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 (32 sessions with elevation).
Timing of the longest session — The longest session falls 3 weeks before the race: the right time.
Taper — Volume drops 67% 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 1618 m, for 2000 m on race day.
Back-to-back long runs — The plan has back-to-back long runs (8 weekends).

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 SaintéLyon