Trail du Plomb du Cantal

The Trail du Plomb du Cantal is a 45-kilometer trail race with 2,800 meters of elevation gain starting from Murat, in the Cantal. This event takes runners to the summit of the Plomb du Cantal, the massif's highest point at 1,855 meters altitude, on a course crossing the finest mountain landscapes in central France.

Murat, a small town nestled at the foot of the Rocher de Bonnevie, is one of the most picturesque towns in the Cantal. Its black basalt houses, crowned with lauze stone roofs, cluster around the Notre-Dame des Oliviers church in a mountain setting reminiscent of Pyrenean villages. The silhouette of the Rocher de Bonnevie, a former volcanic neck dominating the town from its 50-meter height, provides a striking landmark for the runners' departure.

The Trail du Plomb du Cantal course rises progressively from the Alagnon valley to the massif's summits. Runners first cross the bocage meadows of the valley, where Salers cattle graze among gentians and narcissus, before entering the beech forests covering the slopes. The ascent toward the Plomb du Cantal, on increasingly steep mountain trails, is the race's supreme test, rewarded by an exceptional panorama from the summit.

The 2,800 meters of elevation gain are distributed across several major ascents, with ridge passages between the summits forming the massif's backbone. The terrain is mountainous and demanding: rocky trails on ridgelines, steep grassy slopes through summer pastures, scree corridor passages, and centuries-old transhumance paths. High mountain weather conditions, with wind, fog, and low temperatures, are frequent on the ridges.

The Plomb du Cantal, whose name comes from the Auvergnat word "plomm" meaning "rounded summit," is the volcanic massif's highest point. Its summit, a flattened dome shape, is covered with wind-battered short grass. The view from the top encompasses the entire Cantal massif, the Puy Mary, Puy Griou, Puy de Peyre-Arse, as well as the distant chains of the Sancy, Forez, and Monts Dore.

The course crosses the estives, those high-altitude pastures where transhumance is still practiced each summer. Shepherds drive their Salers and Aubrac herds to the high meadows, where grass nourished by mountain rains produces milk of exceptional richness. The burons, recognizable by their squat volcanic stone architecture, are the sentinels of this millennia-old pastoral tradition.

Aid stations at the Trail du Plomb du Cantal celebrate this tradition: AOP Cantal, Salers, fresh tome, mountain charcuterie, and gentiane. The atmosphere is mountainous and authentic, carried by volunteers who embody the pride and generosity of the Cantal people. This race is a tribute to the Auvergne mountains, their harshness and beauty, their traditions and preserved nature.