Course des Crêtes du Pays Basque

The Course des Cretes du Pays Basque is a 28-kilometer trail race with 1,400 meters of elevation gain, taking place in the hills of the Basque Country in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques, starting from Espelette. This village, world-famous for its peppers, provides an authentic and warm setting for this race that follows the ridges and summits of the interior Basque Country. The Course des Cretes is a celebration of Basque identity, a race combining the beauty of landscapes with the richness of a thousand-year-old culture.

Espelette is an iconic Basque Country village, instantly recognizable by its white facades adorned with garlands of red peppers drying in the sun. Classified among the most beautiful villages of France, it embodies Basque aesthetics in all its purity: half-timbered houses in red or green, pelota frontons, a fortified church, and shaded squares. It is from this postcard setting that runners set off to climb the ridges overlooking the Nive valley.

The 28-kilometer course is a chain of climbs and descents along the ridges separating Basque valleys. Runners climb summits with evocative names, offering striking panoramas on both sides: on one side, the verdant valleys of the French Basque Country with their white farmhouses scattered across meadows; on the other, the Pyrenean chain stretching to the ocean. On clear days, the Atlantic glimmers on the horizon, a reminder of the nearby coast.

The 1,400 meters of elevation gain distributed over 28 kilometers impose a sustained rhythm. Climbs toward the ridges are short but steep, and the roller-coaster profile gives legs no respite. The terrain is typically Basque: dirt paths through ferns and gorse, grassy and often slippery ridge trails, pastoral tracks between flocks of black-headed Manech sheep, and technical passages over exposed rock.

Basque culture is omnipresent throughout the race. Cayolars, those stone shepherd huts that dot the summer pastures, testify to a multi-century pastoral tradition. Griffon vultures soar above the ridges, pottoks, those small wild Basque horses, graze freely on the heights, and Manech sheep, whose milk is used to make Ossau-Iraty cheese, are the runners' constant companions.

The Basque Country's weather conditions are a central element of the experience. Oceanic influence brings humidity and mildness contrasting with the ruggedness of nearby mountains. Fog can envelop the ridges without warning, fine persistent rain can soak runners, and the west wind often blows vigorously on summits. But these conditions are part of the Basque soul, and running in the rain along the Basque Country ridges has an undeniable charm.

Aid stations are a feast of Basque flavors: Bayonne ham, Ossau-Iraty cheese, gateau basque, Espelette pepper, and txakoli wine. The atmosphere is festive, carried by Basque songs and encouragement in Euskara. The Course des Cretes du Pays Basque is a human-scale race, accessible and convivial, offering an unforgettable immersion into one of France's most endearing territories.