Lille Marathon 2026: the big comeback, and two race records smashed

In short For its return after 31 years, the Lille Marathon gathered 20,000 runners (and 15,000 on the half); Célestin Ndikumana won in 2:07:51 and Afera Berha in 2:22:30, two new race records.

The marathon is back in northern France

Lille had a marathon from 1986 to 1995. Then nothing for thirty-one years: runners mostly knew the city for its half marathon. On Sunday 25 October 2026, the wait ended. The event, organised by the Hauts-de-France athletics league, offered a marathon and a half marathon on the same day.

And the appetite was there. According to published figures, the first 18,000 marathon entries sold out in under two hours when registration opened on 1 December 2025. The cap was then raised to 20,000. The half sold out in an hour. In total, some 35,000 runners were expected across the two races.

The course: ten towns and 149 metres of climbing

The half started at 8:30 am and the marathon at 11:15 am, from boulevard de la Liberté. The finish was on the Champ-de-Mars esplanade, at the foot of the Citadel.

The marathon doesn't just loop around Lille. It crosses ten towns: Lille, Faches-Thumesnil, Loos, Emmerin, Noyelles-lès-Seclin, Houplin-Ancoisne, Seclin, Templemars, Wattignies and Ronchin. About 20 kilometres are run in Lille itself: the first 12 and the last 8, to finish to the cheers of the city centre.

The course announced 149 metres of elevation gain, presented as fast. For comparison, the specialist press quoted 256 metres for the 2026 Paris Marathon. Enough to attract time-chasers, as long as they could handle the wind.

Men's race: Ndikumana under 2:08

Burundi's Célestin Ndikumana, 24, won in 2:07:51, his first marathon victory. Behind him, Uganda's Salomon Mutai (2:09:36) and Ethiopia's Redahgne Gebru (2:09:39) completed the podium. Five men ran under 2:11, and ten under 2:14.

Ndikumana's time wipes out the race record from 1988: 2:13:08. More than five minutes faster, with wind on the most exposed sections.

Women's race: Berha well clear

Ethiopia's Afera Berha won in 2:22:30. Kenya's Faith Chepkoech took second in 2:35:40, more than thirteen minutes behind.

Here too, the race record fell: it dated from 1986, at 2:33:58. Afera Berha improved it by more than eleven minutes.

On the half: Sime in 1:00, Sénéchal for France

The half marathon, run in the morning, had its share of drama too.

• Men: Ethiopia's Mezgebu Sime won in 1:00:23, ahead of Ararso Negasa Gemada (1:01:37) and Onesmus Kipchirchir (1:01:45). The first French runner, Antonin Marquant, finished tenth in 1:03:26.
• Women: a French win, with Mathilde Sénéchal in 1:10:12, ahead of Mazarine Amis (1:12:16).

And the other 20,000?

Front-runners make the headlines, but a marathon is above all thousands of stories: first 42 km, personal bests snatched at the Champ-de-Mars, runners discovering a passion for the outskirts of Seclin at kilometre 25. If you were one of them: well done. Your legs are probably still a bit stiff.

And if you're already aiming for the 2027 edition, our article "Training for a marathon: the 16-week plan" is waiting for you.

Why we're talking about it on Le Ravito

Because a 20,000-runner race means 40,000 calves passing tens of thousands of spectators and photographers. That's exactly the kind of event Leg Up was imagined for: runners renting a bit of calf to a brand for one race, and getting their entry fee back along the way. See you in 2027?

Sources

Results and figures as reported by the specialist press the day after the race. Official results prevail.

• Marathon de Lille 2026 : les chiffres à retenir d'une édition historique, Reference Trail (in French).
• Résultats Marathon de Lille 2026 : Célestin Ndikumana s'impose en 2h07'51, Reference Trail (in French).
• Résultats femmes du Marathon de Lille 2026 : Afera Berha largement devant, Reference Trail (in French).
• Classement Semi-marathon de Lille 2026 : Mezgebu Sime et Mathilde Sénéchal vainqueurs, Reference Trail (in French).