Tours Marathon sets attendance record with 17,000 runners in 2025

This Sunday, the 43rd edition of the Tours 10K, 20K and Marathon drew 17,000 participants, setting a new attendance record. Starting from Place Anatole France, the various races attracted a strong field and welcomed triple Olympic medallist Marie-José Pérec, this year’s event ambassador, to fire the starting gun for the marathon.

At 7 a.m., the 3,500 participants in the Tours Marathon set off through the streets of Tours. At 9 a.m., just as many runners were lining up for the 20K, crossing the south of the city before joining the 10K loop and passing the forecourt of the sports hall. The new feature on this course is a tunnel beneath Avenue Wagner, leading to Rue Alfred-de-Musset. Finally, from 11:10 a.m., 9,000 runners started the 10K from Marmoutier Abbey, heading to Mirabeau Bridge before finishing on Quai André-Malraux, with the Château de Tours providing one of the race’s defining backdrops. Launched this year by triple Olympic champion Marie-José Pérec, the marathon was being held on an urban course for the third time.

Several other events also attracted strong interest. The youth race on Saturday brought together nearly 1,000 participants, while the two-person marathon was won by the family pairing of Hamdaoui (Marwane and Rachid), father and son. The fifth edition of the Nordic walking event, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., drew 800 walkers along the Loire. Finally, the 9.5K wheelchair race welcomed around ten para-athletes on an adapted course, with free race entries for para-athletes and their companions thanks to the support of Harmonie Mutuelle.

Bastien Augusto makes it three straight 10K wins

The victory of Bastien Augusto, who completed a hat-trick of 10K wins, was only decided in the closing stages. He went head-to-head with Baptiste Guyon all the way to the final straight, with Guyon eventually taking second. The two men crossed the line so close together that their official times were virtually identical: 29:02 for one, 29:03 for the other. Both got their seasons off to an excellent start, each leaving with a medal after a thrilling finish. Pierre Boudy, the 2023 European junior 3,000m steeplechase silver medallist, took third in an excellent 29:17, suggesting better results could follow later in the season.

The women’s race was more straightforward: Jenipher Contois, the winner’s partner, claimed her first 10K victory in 34:45. Sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase at the French Elite Championships in Talence in early August, the Lyon-based runner made her return to road racing in Tours. Around 15 seconds back, Eva Coutant finished in 35:01 officially, although her gun-to-chip time was 34:59, a personal best and a barrier finally broken. Both are promising signs for the new Free Run Athlé 37 recruit. Young Carla Hay, holder of the U20 5K road record for the Centre-Val de Loire Athletics League, completed the podium in 35:46.

Félix Bour plays it smart as Saadia Fadili dominates

Preparing for the New York City Marathon on November 2, Félix Bour, the reigning French cross-country champion after winning in Challans last year, took the 20K in 59:50, another event held as part of the Tours Marathon. The Lorraine runner made the difference with a decisive surge at 12K, catching Alex Franck Ngouari Mouissi, who was then in second. He later reeled in the leader, Philip Kiprono Tarus, with 7K to go before moving clear. The Kenyan, who had impressed the previous week at the Marcq-en-Barœul Half Marathon, eventually finished second, eight seconds back. Congolese runner Alex Franck Ngouari Mouissi, who represents a Tours club, completed the podium in 1:00:56.

In the women’s race, Moroccan Saadia Fadili completed the double in 1:11:35, well clear of her chasers. The SA Toulouse UC athlete finished ahead of Sophie Rocheteau (1:13:12), an Athletic 3 Tours runner, two-time world canicross bronze medallist and a regular presence on regional podiums. Kristin Colard, the Roanne runner who won the Master 1 title at the latest French Half Marathon Championships in Auray-Vannes, took third in 1:15:37.

First marathon wins for Clément Huet and Emmanuelle Mauzy

No clear favourite had been announced for the headline event of the Tours weekend. The race quickly split apart, with a front pack of five led by Angers-based Clément Huet. Alone at the 5K mark in 16:20, the triathlete continued to push at the front and still held a one-minute lead over Ethiopia’s Bechere Tura Kumbi with just over 10K remaining. Racing the distance for the first time with no benchmark to work from, he managed his effort well to claim a deserved victory in 2:23:00, despite being disappointed with the time after targeting a sub-2:20 finish. Behind him, Bechere Tura Kumbi, the 2021 winner, was passed in the closing kilometres by Toulouse runner Florian Ciliberti, who took second in 2:23:44 and set a new personal best in the process. The Ethiopian completed the podium in 2:26:17.

In the women’s race, Emmanuelle Mauzy, a Master 2 runner from the Périgord region, won in 3:02:52 on her first attempt at the 42.195K distance. Slightly frustrated not to break three hours, she was still delighted to complete her first marathon, a FFA Bronze-certified race that serves as a qualifier for the French Championships. She finished ahead of Loir-et-Cher runner Katy Auriau-Blateau (3:10:04), an experienced marathoner and passionate runner, and trail runner Romane Gauthier, third in 3:14:19.

With such a diverse race programme, the Tours race experience is unique. A range of distances gives everyone the chance to take on a challenge that fits, solo or as a pair, on a 100% urban course beloved by finishers. The route showcases Tours’ rich heritage while also offering green stretches through the heart of the city, along the Loire and Cher. An electric crowd, more than 900 volunteers and bands from the Terre du Son festival set the tempo and bring the race to life.

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