Your plan in four answers
Nice-Cannes Marathon is on November 8, 2026, under four weeks away, so we have set next year's race in November. Change the date below if you are running this one.
- Distances
- 20K, Marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- About 22,000 runners across all events in 2025; the marathon is capped at 15,500
Course
The Nice-Cannes Marathon course
A point-to-point coastal marathon from the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, opposite the Théâtre de Verdure, to the Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes near the Palais des Festivals. The route hugs the Mediterranean through Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, Antibes Juan-les-Pins and Golfe-Juan, with the sea on your left almost all the way.
Read the full course notes
The organisers list just 100 m of total climbing, and the small undulations come in the Antibes section of the second half. Starts are staggered in waves from 8:00 to 9:15 by target time, and the course records are 2:07:25 and 2:28:15. A 20 km from Nice to Villeneuve-Loubet and a two-person relay split at Antibes run the same road.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 20K, Marathon
- Field
- About 22,000 runners across all events in 2025; the marathon is capped at 15,500
- Weather on race day
- Early November on the Riviera is usually mild: about 10–17 °C through the morning, with a fair chance of sun but also the season's heaviest rain, often in short downpours. Later start waves run into the warmest part of the day, and the course has no cups at the aid stations, so carry your own soft flask or cup.
What to train for
A flat, sea-level course rewards steady goal-pace running, so build long runs of 28–32 km with the last 10–15 km at marathon pace.
Practise drinking from your own flask or cup on the move, since the aid stations every 2.5 km (every 1.5 km after km 25) serve no cups.
Coastal wind can blow head-on along the Promenade sections, so learn to run by effort, not pace, on blustery days. Add a few gentle rolling runs in the final block so the Antibes rises around km 25–35 feel routine.
Sample week
A sample Nice-Cannes Marathon 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
Taper
Tapering for the Nice-Cannes Marathon
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.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Nice-Cannes Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Nice-Cannes Marathon?
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 Nice-Cannes Marathon course hilly?
Flat. A point-to-point coastal marathon from the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, opposite the Théâtre de Verdure, to the Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes near the Palais des Festivals.
What is the weather usually like at the Nice-Cannes Marathon?
Early November on the Riviera is usually mild: about 10–17 °C through the morning, with a fair chance of sun but also the season's heaviest rain, often in short downpours. Later start waves run into the warmest part of the day, and the course has no cups at the aid stations, so carry your own soft flask or cup.
When should I start tapering for the Nice-Cannes Marathon?
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.
Do I need an account to get a Nice-Cannes Marathon 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.