Toulouse Marathon des Géants 2026: tracking, the Jolimont climb and the finish on Boulevard Carnot

The Marathon des Géants, the marathon of the Harmonie Mutuelle Toulouse Métropole Run Experience, is on Sunday 1 November 2026, starting at 8:00 on the Boulevard d'Arcole (official race page). The course runs through the old centre past the Capitole, down to the Garonne and the Île du Ramier, through the Stadium de Toulouse, along the Canal du Midi to the aerospace district and the Cité de l'Espace, and back into town over the Jolimont hill. 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 one climb that hurts.

Independence notice: Cheerlify is an independent service. It is not affiliated with the organisers or sponsors of the Toulouse Métropole Run Experience, and it is not the event's official application.

The race at a glance

Sources: the marathon page (with the full wave table), the bib pick-up page and the practical information. The relay marathon starts at the same time, so expect relay runners on the course too, some of them a lot fresher than yours.

Clocks: France went back to winter time on 25 October, a week before the race, so 8:00 in Toulouse is 7:00 in the UK and Ireland and 8:00 in most of central Europe.

1. Official tracking: the organiser's live app and chip timing

A chip in the bib starts the clock when the runner crosses the start line and stops it at the finish (FAQ). The organisers say every runner will be sent a live tracking app the day before their race. They haven't named it publicly, so ask your runner to forward the link on Saturday. Results go up on the official website from Sunday afternoon.

The chip time is the official one, and nothing measures more precisely. Where the intermediate mats are hasn't been published. Like any chip system it updates in steps: between two readings you see the last one, and it can't tell you when your runner will reach the corner where you're standing. 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. In Toulouse that answers the two questions that matter on the day: how long you have after the Capitole before you need to be on the metro to Jolimont, and when to leave Jolimont for the finish.

Tip: the official app gives you the chip splits, the GPS map gives you the minutes until they reach Jolimont. Have both open on Sunday.

The course, stage by stage

The organisers publish the course as a map with 5 km markers and a GPX file, and say it can still change depending on permits and roadworks. The kilometres below are measured on the course in the Cheerlify race catalog and checked against the 5 km markers on the official map. They are approximate:

Most of the day the profile is gentle. Jolimont is the one real hill, and it comes after 35 kilometres, when most runners are running on empty, so plan your best cheer for it.

Where to watch

According to the organisers, as reported by marathons.com, there are three fan zones, at Place du Capitole, Place du Salin and in the Jolimont neighbourhood, plus music every 2.5 km along the course. Here's how we'd spend the morning:

• Place du Capitole or Place du Salin (about km 2.7 and 3.7), the first two fan zones, about a kilometre apart. Pick one, because the runners cover that kilometre faster than you can walk it. A runner aiming for four hours from the 8:20 wave passes the Capitole at about 8:35.
• Jolimont (about km 35–37), the third fan zone, on the climb. Metro line A goes straight there from Capitole in a few stops, and three of its stations sit by the course: Argoulets (about km 34.5), Jolimont (about km 36.5) and Marengo-SNCF (about km 37.5). The same four-hour runner reaches Jolimont around 11:45, which leaves time for a coffee. The arrival estimate tells you when to head up.
• The finish on Boulevard Lazare Carnot. From Marengo it's just over a kilometre on foot while your runner still has about five to go, so you can see them a third time at the line.

After the race, the organisers' after-party is the Bodega du 43e km at Les Halles de la Cartoucherie (tram T1, Cartoucherie stop), open from 11:00 with a supporters' area (practical information). There's no published meeting point at the finish, so pick one with your runner beforehand: a street corner or a café near Boulevard Carnot.

Metro on race day: the official pages contradict each other. The marathon page says to get off at Jeanne d'Arc because Jean Jaurès will be closed; the practical information page says the opposite. One of the two stations near the start will be closed on Sunday. Check Tisséo on the morning before you set off.

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

Weather

Early November mornings in Toulouse are usually cool. Rain is possible, and so is the Autan, the strong south-easterly wind. Wear layers and check the forecast on Saturday.

Be in their ears on the Jolimont climb

Around km 35, after the long drag north from the Cité de l'Espace, the road tilts up towards Jolimont. The hill is short, but it comes when the legs are already gone.

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 36, halfway up Jolimont: "This is the hill. Short steps. The top is right there."
• km 37.5, at the Marengo arch: "Over the top. Under five to go, and the hardest part is behind you."
• km 41.5, past the Grand Rond: the name, the joke or the promise that you know will carry them down Boulevard Carnot.

Earbuds and headphones are tolerated, and the organisers ask runners to keep the volume low so they stay aware of what's around them (race rules; the published text still refers to the 2025 edition). One earbud or open-ear headphones are enough to hear a cheer clearly at that volume.

For the runner: in the Cheerlify app, pick Toulouse Marathon des Géants from the race catalog. The official course is already loaded, so there's no GPX file to find. Share the link and the code with your supporters. Running the half? Pick Semi-Marathon de Toulouse instead: it has its own course, so the map, the kilometres and the arrival times follow the 21.1 km.

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. The first pens go at 8:00, the last at 8:30. Ask them to forward the official tracking link when it arrives on Saturday.
2. Get your runner's GPS tracking link and test it together during the week, or at the village on the Capitole when they pick up their bib.
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 Jolimont (km 35–37) and one for the finish. You can also send them live as they run.
5. If you're in Toulouse: Capitole or Salin early, metro line A to Jolimont, then the finish. Check which metro station is closed on Sunday morning.
6. Agree on a meeting point near Boulevard Carnot, or at the Bodega du 43e km.

Frequently asked questions