Your plan in four answers
Set for October 3, 2027, about 49 weeks out.
- Distances
- 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- About 36,000 runners across all distances (2026)
- Taper starts
- September 15, 2027
Course
The Run in Lyon course
On the 2026 course the marathon starts on Quai Romain Rolland in Vieux Lyon and finishes on Place Bellecour, staying almost entirely on the quays of Lyon's two rivers. It runs north up the Saône past Vaise and Île Barbe to a turn at the Pont Paul Bocuse in Collonges around km 8, comes back down the opposite bank, crosses the Presqu'île by Place des Terreaux, then heads up the Rhône to loop through the Cité Internationale and the edge of the Parc de la Tête d'Or around halfway.
Read the full course notes
The second half follows the Berges du Rhône south to Gerland and its stadium around km 33–36, swings past the Musée des Confluences and Confluence, and returns north to Bellecour. Riverside quays keep it essentially flat, and the half marathon uses the same Saône out-and-back to Collonges before finishing on Place Bellecour.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Field
- About 36,000 runners across all distances (2026)
- Weather on race day
- Early October in Lyon is usually 10–18 °C, cool at the morning start and mild by midday, with humidity around 75% and rain on roughly one day in three. Mist on the rivers is common early on, so start with a throwaway layer and expect pleasant racing conditions.
What to train for
Flat quays and long straight riverbanks make this a course for metronomic pacing: build to 30–32 km long runs with 12–16 km at goal marathon pace.
The Saône out-and-back and the long stretch along the Rhône are exposed to wind, so practise holding effort, not pace, into a headwind.
The race falls in early October, so most of your build happens in summer heat: do key sessions early in the morning and treat your long runs as fuelling rehearsals with a gel every 30–40 minutes.
Sample week
A sample Run in Lyon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1.5 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10–11 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 16 km with 10 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 26–29 km, the last 6 km at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Run in Lyon
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on October 3, 2027, your taper starts around September 15, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Run in Lyon by Harmonie Mutuelle (Marathon) on October 3, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Run in Lyon training questions
How long should I train for the Run in Lyon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Run in Lyon course hilly?
Flat. On the 2026 course the marathon starts on Quai Romain Rolland in Vieux Lyon and finishes on Place Bellecour, staying almost entirely on the quays of Lyon's two rivers.
What is the weather usually like at the Run in Lyon?
Early October in Lyon is usually 10–18 °C, cool at the morning start and mild by midday, with humidity around 75% and rain on roughly one day in three. Mist on the rivers is common early on, so start with a throwaway layer and expect pleasant racing conditions.
When should I start tapering for the Run in Lyon?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on October 3, 2027, your taper starts around September 15, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Run in Lyon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.