The Marseille-Cassis raceOne of the running world's most beautiful competitive events must undoubtedly be the hugely popular race from Marseille to Cassis, which takes place every year on the last Sunday of October.

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The Marseille-Cassis race is open to everyone and has a "silver label" classification from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), placing it among the top 50 running races in the world. Its official title used to be the Classique Internationale Marseille-Cassis.

In 2012, having shortened its route very slightly by 308 metres / 337 yards, it became the simpler Marseille-Cassis: 20 km / 12.75 miles. However it is still sometimes referred to as a half-marathon.

Enrolment for the Marseille-Cassis opens in the early spring. The race starts here, and you are advised to move fast, very fast: past events have been fully subscribed within an hour and there are generally lively arguments afterwards about the allocation of spaces!

The first Marseille-Cassis race was held in 1979 and attracted 700 runners. Today, over 20,000 competitors take part from all over the world. Around a third of them are women.

marseille cassis race rerefeshmentsWhile super-swift visiting African athletes often run off with the top honours each year, everyone who participates can now take home a personalised medal with his or her name and race time engraved on it.

The starting point of the race is near the Vélodrome Stadium - home of Marseille's legendary football team Olympique de Marseille.

The adjacent Parc Chanot houses the race's "village" and social centre, where visitors can buy running kit, make their own energy bar, learn life-saving techniques and take part in other fun activities.

The runners take a route through the Gineste pass (327 metres/1070 feet above sea level) and the plateau of Carpiagne. The downhill home stretch winds above the calanques - the stunning rocky "fjords" that score this section of the coast.

Since 2017 the winning post has moved away from the harbour front of Cassis. pictured below.

In order to provide more space for the thousands of spectators and for security reasons, the race now ends at the avenue des Albizzi, in the vineyards of Cassis, near the train station in the hills above the town. The length of the race remains unchanged.

While some runners might find the race to be on the short side, it also has long uphill and downhill stretches and is certainly no breeze.

Participants pass through some of the most spectacular scenery in France and the road is closed to traffic during the race (roads will also be blocked off for a while in both Marseille and Cassis).

Enthusiastic supporters and volunteers guarantee abundant supplies of refreshments, pictured above, and a Tour de France-like party atmosphere all along the route.

Warm and pleasant but no longer sweltering, the weather in Provence is ideal for running at this time of year - provided that the fierce Mistral wind isn't blowing.

Runners in the Marseille-Cassis race arrive in CassisThe Marseille-Cassis is open to participants over the age of 18. Many entrants are French, but the race is open to all comers and attracts top international contestants.

If you would like to take part, you will be required to supply a medical certificate.

Website for the Marseille-Cassis race.

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