2 Days To Go Until The 11th Edition Of Nîmes Urban Trail 2026

February 12, 2026

February 12, 2026 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The third largest public gathering in Nîmes after the Feria and the Roman Days, the Nîmes Urban Trail will welcome more than 15,000 participants and 40,000 spectators on 14–15 February 2026 (11th edition). Festivities begin on Saturday with the Mini NUT at the Arena, bringing together 1,500 children aged 4 to 11. 

The first urban trail ever created in France – now one of 320 similar events nationwide – the NUT is more than ever THE benchmark for urban trail running in Europe.

“The strength of the Nîmes Urban Trail is that it has become much more than a sporting event,” explains Benoît Goiset, Associate Director at YESWERUN, the Nîmes-based company behind the Nîmes Urban Trail, Veni Vici at the Pont du Gard and the Béziers Urban Trail. “Above all, it’s a huge intergenerational celebration (from ages 4 to 90) that tells the story of the City. Over the years, we’ve brought together everyone committed to energising and showcasing Nîmes: the municipality, historic landmarks (the Arena, Maison Carrée, Tour Magne, etc.), cultural venues, shops, sports facilities, military sites, social institutions, care homes and schools. Running or walking has never been so unifying, so fun, or such a powerful driver of social connection as it is at the NUT.”

The result speaks for itself: with several thousand would-be entrants set to miss out this year, the NUT is now seen as the most spectacular and unusual tourist postcard of “Roman” Nîmes — best discovered on a run or on a walk.

In 2026, the event will open the doors of around fifty iconic or lesser-known sites to participants in search of a truly original sporting, festive, historical and cultural experience. This year, even the Palais de Justice joins the adventure, with a crossing that promises to be just as memorable as the famous “crocodile staircase” and the City Hall’s Council Chamber and Wedding Hall, also featured for the first time.

More than ever, the NUT continues to strengthen community ties by:

• • Once again reaching into the city’s priority neighbourhoods, through its routes, outreach initiatives, entertainment and volunteer engagement;
  • Creating meaningful and emotional moments of connection between participants and residents of several care homes, as well as patients and staff at Nîmes University Hospital;
  • Passing through several special education institutes run by the Cigalières association, and, for the first time, the Departmental Children’s Home.KEY FIGURES – NUT 2026

    4 races at the MINI NUT on Saturday at the Arena (children aged 4 to 11):

    • • • 2:00 pm – PIOUPIOU (ages 4–5): 500 metres (accompanied by an adult)
        • 2:45 pm – POUSSIN (ages 6–7): 500 metres
        • 3:15 pm – POULET (ages 8–9): 1,000 metres
        • 4:00 pm – COQ (ages 10–11): 1,500 metres

    5 distances on Sunday:

    • • • 7:30 am – 42 km run (700 participants)
        • 8:00 am – 24 km run (3,800 participants)
        • 10:30 am – 16 km run (3,600 participants)
        • 1:00 pm – 10 km run (3,300 participants)
        • 2:20 pm – 10 km walk (2,500 participants)

    53 iconic sites across Nîmes featured on the course (+10 compared with 2025).

    Runners from 94 French departments and 47 nationalities at the start (including 107 participants travelling specifically from abroad).

    Participant breakdown: 25% from Nîmes / 60% from the Gard department / 40% from outside the Gard.

    With 40% of participants coming from outside the Gard, the NUT is firmly established as a major tourism driver for both the region and the City of Nîmes, generating an estimated €1.2 million in economic benefits for local businesses over the event weekend.

     48% women– well above the national average for this type of event – and a majority in both the 10 km walk (73%) and the 10 km run (56%).

    Average age: 38.9 years, down 2.3 years compared with 2025

     

     HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2026 EDITION

    12 new venues featured in 2026 

    • • • Le Palais de Justice
        • Le Centre des Congrès – h2
        • Le Wine Bar (Hôtel le Cheval Blanc)
        • La Comédie (nightclub)
        • Un, Dos, Tres (bar)
        • Double cadereaux « discothèque » under the former Alès Road
        • Collège Jean Rostand
        • Regional Children’s Home
        • Nîmes Tennis Club
        • « Expo de Ouf » alleyways
        • Bar-Restaurant Mauvais Quartier
        • Bistrot Jacquemart

    New and returning iconic sites

    • • • L’avenue Feuchères start line near the Prefecture)
        • Tourist Office
        • Nîmes Arena
        • City Hall
        • Lycée Alphonse Daudet
        • Roman History Museum
        • La Coupole shopping centre
        • Le Levrette Café (bar)
        • Le Victor Hugo (bar)
        • Jean Bouin Stadium
        • Vacquerolles Golf Course
        • Carémeau Hospital
        • L’Hôtel Margaret Chouleur & its Michelin-starred restaurant Le Rouge
        • Le Prolé (bar)
        • The vineyard at the Jardins de la Fontaine (Costières de Nîmes)
        • IME Edouard Kruger (training restaurant run by the Cigalières association)
        • 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (French Foreign Legion) and its mini assault course
        • Serre-Cavalier Gerontology Centre (University Hospital)
        • Lumière & Paix care home (Château Silhol)
        • Clair Soleil care home (including its chapel and “shell house”)
        • University of Nîmes – Fort Vauban
        • Meynier de Salinelles Park
        • CROUS Nîmes
        • Tour Magne Primary School
        • Tour Magne
        • Bois des Espeisses (woodland)
        • La Grotte des Fées
        • Valdegour district
        • Foyer Galaxie – Résidence Véga (Cigalières charity)
        • Jardins de la Fontaine
        • The Tire-Cul climb with its famous 17% gradient
        • Carré d’Art (museum)
        • Le Napoléon (brasserie)
        • Maison Carrée (UNESCO World Heritage site)
        • Le Spot (creative arts hub)
        • Occitan school La Calandreta (Mont Duplan)
        • Private Hospital Les Franciscaines

    The festive aspect will be central to the event, with the return of the “best costume competition” and numerous activities along the courses.

    A sporting event with a strong charitable focus: for the third consecutive year, the NUT will support the Nîmes-based association CIGALIÈRES, which manages around twenty facilities in the Gard for children and adults with motor disabilities, multiple disabilities, intellectual disabilities and/or developmental disorders, including autism.

    USEFUL LINKS

    • • Full NUT 2026 routes: www.openrunner.com/route-details/23026979
      • More information: www.nimesurbantrail.com
      • NUT 2026 logos & banners: NUT MEDIA KIT 2026
      • 2026 teaser video : TEASER
      • NUT Best of Photos (©Yeswerun): BEST OF PHOTOS
      • 2025 photo report (©Yeswerun – Cyrille Quintard): PHOTOS 2025
      • NUT 2025 Aftermovie (6’): www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CNYy4eF1Ko

For this new edition of the NUT, a press area has been set up at the Palais des Congrès in Nîmes, and the press team will welcome you from Friday 13 February from 2.30 pm.

PRESS CONTACTS

Rebecca Jones – International PR Officer
+44 (0)7543 742 605 | rebecca@seaclearcommunications.com

About Nîmes Urban Trail

The Nîmes Urban Trail is a unique running event that blends trail running with the rich heritage of the city of Nîmes. Now celebrating its 11th edition, the race offers four distances — 42 km, 24 km, 16 km, and 10 km — and takes participants through historic landmarks, hidden stairways, and striking urban landscapes. Designed for both seasoned trail runners and enthusiastic newcomers, the event delivers a distinctive sporting and cultural experience in the heart of the city, celebrating sport, discovery, and community.