La Rochelle Marathon 2026: live tracking, two laps from the Vieux-Port and one spot to see your runner twice

The Marathon de La Rochelle Serge Vigot, 35th edition, is on Sunday 29 November 2026, starting at 9:00 on the Quai Maubec and Quai Louis Durand in the Vieux-Port (official race rules). It's two laps of about 21 km through the town, out to the Minimes, through the parks and Port-Neuf, and back to the old harbour, with the second lap ending at the finish instead of the start line. If someone you care about is running it, this guide shows how to see where they are right now, where to stand, and how to get your voice to them on the second lap, when the same streets come round again.

Independence notice: Cheerlify is an independent service. It is not affiliated with the organisers or sponsors of the Marathon de La Rochelle, and it is not the event's official application.

The race at a glance

Sources: the race rules, the village page and the FAQ. The Marathon Duo relay runs on the same course, one lap per runner, and the 10 km starts at 8:45 on the Avenue du Général Leclerc.

1. Official tracking: chip splits every 5 km

Every bib carries a ChronoTrack B-Tag, and there are timing and control points every 5 km (race rules). Results appear on the organisers' results page. They haven't said whether there will be a live tracking app this year, so check the site in race week.

The chip times are the official record. Between two mats, though, you only see the last reading, and at marathon pace that's 25 to 35 minutes of nothing new. We explain the difference here: chip timing vs GPS tracking.

2. Live GPS on the map, between the readings

For a dot that keeps moving you need GPS tracking on the runner's own phone: Strava Beacon, Garmin LiveTrack, plain location sharing or Cheerlify (marathon tracking apps compared). Cheerlify snaps the dot to the course, so you see which kilometre they're on and get an arrival estimate for any point. On a two-lap course that also answers the question split times can't: is your runner on lap one or lap two right now?

Tip: keep the official splits and the GPS map open together. The splits tell you how the pace is holding; the map tells you when to look up.

The course, stage by stage

The organisers publish the course as a map, a profile and an interactive map with kilometre markers. The kilometres below are measured on the course in the Cheerlify race catalog, which follows that map. They are approximate, and the second lap repeats the first:

The profile is flat. The hard part is the repetition: at km 21 your runner passes the start, sees the finish area, and has to set off for the same 21 km again.

Where to watch

On a two-lap course one good spot gives you two sightings. Here's how we'd use that:

• The Mail (about km 19 and km 40), the seafront promenade north of the Vieux-Port. You see your runner at about km 19, wait about two hours for a four-hour runner, see them again at km 40, then walk the kilometre to the finish.
• The Vieux-Port (the start, about km 21, and the finish area). For a four-hour runner, km 21 comes around 11:00. Bring a sign: lap two starts here.
• The Avenue du Général Leclerc (about km 10 and km 31), close to the Parcs, if you want a sighting in the middle of each lap.

The station is about 500 metres from the Espace Encan and the start and finish areas, and on race day free shuttles run from the park-and-ride car parks to the centre (getting there). There's no published meeting point at the finish, so agree on one beforehand.

Supporters at home get the same map and can send the same cheers.

Weather

Late November on the Atlantic coast is usually cool, often windy, and rain is common. Wear layers and check the forecast on Saturday.

Be in their ears on lap two

The first lap is new and the crowd is fresh. The second one is the same streets with fewer people on them, and the 4-hour cut-off at km 30 is waiting for the slower runners.

With Cheerlify you can send a voice or video cheer while your runner is on the course, and it plays in their earbuds right away. Or record one in advance, pick the kilometre, and it plays right there. Their music dips, your voice comes in, and then the music is back. Places for one:

• km 22, just after the Vieux-Port: "Halfway. You know every corner of this lap now."
• km 31, past the Avenue du Général Leclerc: "Eleven to go. Same streets, and this time they lead home."
• km 41, on the Mail: the name, the joke or the promise you know will carry them to the harbour.

The race rules don't mention headphones. One earbud or open-ear headphones keep your runner aware of the course and still let them hear a cheer clearly.

For the runner: in the Cheerlify app, pick Marathon de La Rochelle from the race catalog. The course is already loaded, so there's no GPX file to find. Share the link and the code with your supporters.

Supporters open the link and enter the code in a browser; no app, no account. A group can split the course between them, one cheer each for a different kilometre. For ideas, here are 30+ cheering lines for every stage of a race.

Race-week checklist for supporters

1. Save your runner's bib number and start pen. Bibs are only handed out on Friday and Saturday at the Espace Encan.
2. Get your runner's GPS tracking link and test it together during the week.
3. Their phone should start fully charged, with battery saver off and location set to "Always".
4. Record or plan your cheers: at least one for the start of lap two (km 21–23) and one for the finish. You can also send them live as they run.
5. If you're in La Rochelle: the Mail twice, or the Vieux-Port at the start and at km 21, then the finish.
6. Agree on a meeting point near the Vieux-Port.

Frequently asked questions