Trail du Quercy

The Trail du Quercy is a 50-kilometer trail race with 1,600 meters of elevation gain starting from Cahors, in the Lot department. This event crosses the Quercy, a territory of causses and valleys in southwestern France, through a landscape of blonde stone, vineyards, winding rivers, and perched villages of luminous and serene beauty.

Cahors, prefecture of the Lot, is a city of art and history nestled in a bend of the Lot river. The Pont Valentre, a fourteenth-century fortified bridge inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the finest medieval bridges in Europe and the city's symbol. Trail du Quercy runners set off from this historic setting to reach the paths climbing toward the causses.

The Trail du Quercy course explores the territory's two faces: the causses, those dry and luminous limestone plateaus, and the valleys, where the Lot and Cele rivers wind between cliffs in a green setting. Runners climb onto the causses, crossing dry grasslands dotted with truffle oaks and juniper, before descending into valleys where villages are reflected in the calm river waters.

The 1,600 meters of elevation gain are generated by repeated climbs from valley floors to the plateaus. The terrain is varied: limestone trails on the causses, dirt paths through oak undergrowth, steep descents toward the rivers, and passages through Cahors vineyards. The causses, with their lapiaz, dolines, and igues, present karst terrain that demands attention.

The Cahors vineyard, one of the oldest in France, produces Malbec, the grape variety yielding dark, full-bodied wines nicknamed the "black wine." Runners cross the vine parcels covering the Lot valley hillsides, in a landscape evoking a French Tuscany. The cellars and wine estates along the course testify to this appellation's vitality.

The Quercy is a territory rich in medieval heritage. The perched villages of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, classified as a Most Beautiful Village of France, Puy-l'Eveque, and Luzech dominate the Lot valley from their rocky promontories. Romanesque churches, fortified castles, and dovecotes are markers of a glorious past. The Quercy's decorated caves, contemporary with Lascaux, bear witness to human presence dating back over 20,000 years.

Aid stations celebrate Lot gastronomy: foie gras, black truffle of the Quercy, cabecou cheese, pastis quercynois, and Cahors wine. The atmosphere is festive and gourmet, reflecting the art of living of this generous terroir. The Trail du Quercy is a race combining sporting challenge with the discovery of an exceptional territory, an immersion in the deep southwest where stone, vine, and river compose a landscape of rare harmony.

Trail du Quercy is a 50 km trail race with 1,600 m of elevation gain, located in Cahors, Lot. The next edition is scheduled for 17 May 2026.

Find all official information on the race website.