Marathon des Cerces, by the numbers
The Cerces loop without the Col du Granon: the same high ground above Le Monêtier with one long climb fewer. Built from 272 finishes in 2025, checkpoint by checkpoint.
Grand Aréa km 37.4
On the stretch into this checkpoint the median finisher ran 40% slower than their average pace for the race.
- Median finisher
- 7:46
- You, 9:05 finish
- 7:44
The shading shows how the field's pace on each stretch compares with their own average for the race: rose is slower, blue is faster, and stretches close to average stay grey.
The slowest stretch is the one into Grand Aréa (km 37), where the median finisher ran 40% slower than their average pace for the race, 7h 46m into the race. The next hardest is the stretch into Pic du Chardonnet (km 10). The course gives time back on the way into Arrivée, where the field ran 27% faster than their average pace for the race.
Where the field slows down
The slowest stretch is the one into Grand Aréa (km 37), where the median finisher ran 40% slower than their average pace for the race, 7h 46m into the race. The next hardest is the stretch into Pic du Chardonnet (km 10). The course gives time back on the way into Arrivée, where the field ran 27% faster than their average pace for the race.
- Median finish
- 9:07
- hours, all finishers
- Finish rate
- 93.5%
- 272 of 291 starters
- Fastest 10%
- 6:59
- finish under this
- Women in the field
- 22.8%
- share of finishers
Where the finish times land
272 finish times, one bar per hour. The median finisher crosses the line in 9h 07m; the fastest 10% are done under 6h 59m.
Most runners finished between 9 and 10 hours: 69 of them.
About 49% of finishers were faster than that.
| Checkpoint | Km | You arrive |
|---|---|---|
| Pic du Chardonnet | 10.4 | 2:04 |
| Col de Roches Noires | 18.0 | 3:28 |
| Refuge de Buffère | 26.9 | 4:44 |
| Grand Aréa | 37.4 | 7:44 |
| Arrivée | 46.4 | 9:05 |
Your time is spread the way the median finisher spread theirs over this course, so the climbs and the night take their real share. Aid-station stops are included, as they are in the recorded splits.
On race day you get a tracker for your phone, a sheet for your crew and a strip to print for your wrist, all set to this time.
When the median finisher reaches each checkpoint
The median finisher's real arrival at all 5 timed checkpoints, and how the field's pace moves segment by segment.
Show all 5 checkpoints as a tableHide the table
| Checkpoint | Km | Median arrival | Field pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pic du ChardonnetFly it10.4 km | 10.4 | 2:04 | 3% slower |
| Col de Roches NoiresFly it18.0 km | 18.0 | 3:29 | 7% faster |
| Refuge de BuffèreFly it26.9 km | 26.9 | 4:45 | 25% faster |
| Grand AréaFly it37.4 km | 37.4 | 7:46 | 40% slower |
| ArrivéeFly it46.4 km | 46.4 | 9:07 | 27% faster |
Field pace compares the median finisher's pace on the stretch into each checkpoint with their own average for the whole race. Runners who missed a cutoff or dropped are not in the data (finishers only).
The course
The key climbs, a pacing plan matched to the terrain, and the whole route in 3D.
Marathon des Cerces questions
What is a typical Marathon des Cerces finish time?
The median finish across 272 finishers (2025) is 9h 07m. The fastest 10% finish under 6h 59m; the slowest 10% finish after 11h 14m.
What percentage of runners finish Marathon des Cerces?
93.5% across the 2025 edition (272 finishers from 291 starters).
Train for Marathon des Cerces
Make a training plan built around this course and your race day, or see what a model trained on real ultras predicts for you.
When does Marathon des Cerces registration open?
Leave your email and you'll get one message when entries open for the next edition, with the link. Nothing else.
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Writing about Marathon des Cerces? This card shows the course profile and the field's numbers, and links back here.
<iframe src="https://runpact.com/embed/races/marathon-des-cerces" title="Marathon des Cerces on RunPact" width="100%" height="200" style="border:0;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Methodology and sources
Split data: official per-runner checkpoint times for the 2025 Marathon des Cerces, 272 finishers at 5 timed checkpoints. All split-derived figures describe finishers only. Runners who dropped or missed a cutoff do not appear in split data, so buffer statistics understate how tight cutoffs are for the full field. Medians are used throughout. Apart from the finish-time explorer, which scales the median finisher's splits to the time you pick, no figure on this page is modeled or extrapolated.