Blocks League returns for an explosive Season 2

In February 2025, the launch night of Blocks League, the popular competition combining performance with electric energy, was a major success. Soon after, the forecourt of La Grande Halle de La Villette filled with die-hard runners and supporters for the opening showdown. The heats followed one another with the same fervor, teams driven by raw energy. Every participant pushed their limits to score as many points as possible at each stage and secure their final ticket to the grand final.

The esplanade of the BNF then provided the perfect setting for the climax, where the champion would be crowned. “It was absolutely incredible, exclaimed Moussa Diallo, one of the event hosts tasked with firing up the crowd. There was serious talent and an amazing atmosphere.” He was right: elite athletes showed up, but they were far from the only ones. Amateur runners also gave everything to make their fired-up teammates proud.

Season 2 is set to turn up the heat

The rules have changed this year. Every stage offers a chance to qualify for the final. There is no point playing the strategy game or calculating your odds: mistakes are no longer an option. The key change lies in the new knockout concept: “Win and you’re through.” A single race in which a team finishes in the top six is enough to earn direct qualification for the Paris Grand Final on May 24. For runners outside the elite ranks, registration for the final remains open.

But that is not the only new feature in an edition that is already revolutionary in its own right. Blocks League is heading to two new cities: Marseille, with a stage around the Mucem on March 28, and Lille, at Stadium Lille Métropole on April 17, including a brand-new Team format of 10 x 800 m. The competition is going national while becoming more inclusive.

Alongside the crew format, runners can also go head-to-head in a blistering 3 km race for Pole Position. The 10 fastest women and 10 fastest men will earn a place of honor in the Grand Final.

The rewards include a record €20,000 prize purse for the top male and female runners. Prize money will rain down on the fastest athletes at every event, especially at the Grand Final, where the winning team will pocket €5,000, while the winning man and woman will each receive €1,000.

The DNA remains the same: four stages, four formats and one overall standings table, with the ambition of taking athletics out of the stadium and into the streets. Numerous athletes, some with impressive records already behind them, are ready to take on this new format. And even for those who would rather stay on the other side of the barriers, the experience promises to be intoxicating. With DJ sets, a food court, a partner village and the traditional after-party, everything is in place to make running accessible, appealing and unmistakably urban.

The 2026 tour opened Friday at La Défense with an explosive 3 km

The first intense stage took place on Friday, March 13, at the Arche de La Défense. In an iconic setting, on demanding asphalt, the teams went head-to-head in a time trial worthy of the biggest events, over 1 mile (1,609 m). Individual contenders faced an 800 m loop for a total distance of 3 km. Speed was essential, but so was managing the pace to avoid blowing up before the finish line. From 7 p.m., organizers brought the La Défense forecourt to life with a dedicated spectator zone and a white-hot atmosphere.

Two weeks later, on March 28, the tour heads to Marseille. The mixed teams of five will complete 10 x 1 km relays, with a top-six finish once again the target. The solo format takes its cue from the Paris round: 3 km to cover, this time on a 1 km loop. Fewer laps, but no less effort over the same distance.