© Marathon Loudéac-Pontivy
Loudéac–Pontivy Marathon: Guillaume Ruel smashes course record, Amélie Sinquin steals the show
On Sunday 31 May, around 5,200 runners took to the roads of central Brittany for the 9th edition of the Loudéac–Pontivy Marathon. France’s Guillaume Ruel, in 2:23:05, and Amélie Sinquin, in 2:55:51, claimed victory on a day of racing that delivered both performance and spectacle.
When Guillaume Ruel lines up at the Loudéac–Pontivy Marathon, he’s usually just back from altitude training in Font-Romeu. Not exactly a relaxing stay at 1,800 metres with a view. For the Stade Saint-Lô athlete—European record holder over 50 km and French record holder over 100 km—altitude camps are serious business, and it showed on race day. From the start at the Calouet racecourse in Loudéac, on a point-to-point course largely following the Vélodyssée cycle route and the Nantes–Brest Canal, Ruel immediately set his own rhythm. No theatrics, no tactical games—just a steady, metronomic pace typical of elite ultra-distance runners.
The result spoke for itself. Ruel crossed the finish line at the Halle Safire in 2:23:05, taking down the previous course record by a wide margin. Florian Le Vigouroux (Cima Pays d’Auray) finished second in 2:30:22, ahead of Kleden Favennec (Quéven Athlétisme) in 2:32:02, both setting personal bests in the process. A high-quality podium that underlined the level of this 2026 edition. For Ruel, the win in Brittany adds to a strong 2026 season. A few weeks earlier, he had also taken victory at the Marathon des Héros in Bayeux, confirming his status as a specialist in scenic, territory-driven road marathons. Brittany was simply next on the list.
| The Rigole d’Hilvern, canal paths and burning legs
The Loudéac–Pontivy course is more than just a race—it’s part postcard, part endurance test. Runners follow the Rigole d’Hilvern and the Nantes–Brest Canal, pass through lock staircases, and finish near Pontivy’s medieval castle, once home to the Dukes of Rohan. The route mixes forests, hedgerows, small Breton villages and canal towpaths. While the profile is broadly fast, with elevations between 58 and 94 metres, it still bites in the final 10 km. Much of the course runs along the Vélodyssée, a former railway line turned greenway cutting through the heart of Brittany.
Runners pass through Saint-Gonnery (not Sean Connery, as the race organisers like to joke), then Saint-Gérand, before the castle towers signal the approaching finish. This year’s edition also included double passages through Loudéac and Pontivy town centres, plus extended sections along the Rigole d’Hilvern.
| Sinquin vs Balluais-Delaunay: a seven-second thriller
In the women’s race, drama went right down to the wire. Amélie Sinquin (Stade Rennais Athlétisme) took the win in 2:55:51, but only after 42 kilometres of relentless pressure from Ludivine Balluais-Delaunay (Joggers du Couesnon). The gap at the finish: just seven seconds. Eugénie Boterf (Caen Athletic Club) completed the podium in 3:13:32, ahead of Coralie Tirot (S/L ASPTT Rennes) and veteran Natacha Pestel (EA Pays de Brocéliande), who won the M3 category in 3:26:32.
| Benoît Fanouillère, once again unstoppable
In the half marathon, local favourite Benoît Fanouillère (S/L Athlétisme Loudéac) once again dominated, claiming his seventh victory in the event in 1:12:53. A remarkable consistency on home soil for a runner who knows every bend of the course. Théo Noël (Athlétisme Pays de Pontivy) finished second in 1:13:00. In the women’s race, Katia Raoult (S/L Castres Athlétisme) won in 1:19:18, ahead of Lénaïck Touzé (Dominicaine A) in 1:20:02.
| Youth takes over the 10K and 5K
On the 10 km, Mathieu Coyat (S/L Athlétisme Loudéac) took victory in 31:48, while Cécilia Mobuchon (ASCO Inter Atlas), 2019 French half-marathon champion, won the women’s race in 38:23. The 5 km—often a launching pad for younger athletes—went to Pierre Barbe (S/L AC Merdrignac) in 16:41, while Laetitia Gérard won the women’s race in 20:55, ahead of Tiphaine Le Lavandier and Auralia Hascoet.
| 5,200 runners and a region running as one
A total of 5,200 participants took part across all distances this year, with both the marathon and half marathon selling out well in advance. The 10K and 5K remained open closer to race day, reflecting the strong demand for the event. Live music, fancy dress contests and a lively finisher village at the Halle Safire turned the race into a full-scale celebration of central Brittany. Performance and festivity continue to coexist naturally in Loudéac–Pontivy’s unique identity.
| Central Brittany’s flagship marathon keeps growing
In just nine editions, the Loudéac–Pontivy Marathon has established itself as a standout event on the French road racing calendar. Marketed as the first major marathon in central Brittany, it blends performance with scenery in equal measure. The 10th edition is already on the horizon—and if Ruel returns to defend his title, another memorable day along the Nantes–Brest Canal may well be in store.
✔ Loudéac–Pontivy Marathon results
Dorian VUILLET
Journalist
