Trail des Albères

The Trail des Albères is a 35-kilometre race with 1,800 metres of positive elevation gain covering the last mountain chain of the Pyrenees before their spectacular plunge into the Mediterranean Sea. Starting from Argelès-sur-Mer, a seaside resort on the Côte Vermeille, this event takes runners along the Franco-Spanish border ridge of the Albères massif, offering rare panoramas where Pyrenean summits are silhouetted above the deep blue sea. It is one of the only trails in France where one can run in the mountains while having the Mediterranean permanently in view, a unique sensory experience that gives this race an incomparable flavour.

The Albères massif is a Pyrenean sub-range oriented east-west, culminating at Pic Neulos (1,256 m) and Pic des Quatre Termes (1,156 m). The course follows ridgeline trails separating France from Spain, travelling along a natural border drawn by geography long before diplomatic treaties. On the French side, the slopes descend toward the Roussillon plain and the vineyards of Collioure and Banyuls; on the Spanish side, the Costa Brava and Catalan Empordà are revealed. Runners cross one of Europe's most northerly cork oak forests, home to Hermann's tortoises and dotted with dolmens and menhirs testifying to a human presence dating back to the Neolithic period.

The course's technicality stems from the nature of the terrain, a mixture of schist and gneiss that breaks down into loose and sometimes unstable soil. The climbs from the seaside are frank and sustained, rapidly gaining altitude to reach the ridgeline. The descents on the Mediterranean side are often steep and technical, on narrow trails bordered by dense maquis — rockrose, heather, strawberry trees — fragrant under the Catalan sun. The tramontane wind, ever-present in this region, can blow violently on exposed ridges, adding a meteorological factor that runners must integrate into their strategy. The 1,800 metres of positive elevation gain over 35 kilometres offer a sustained effort ratio that rewards climbers and versatile runners.

Argelès-sur-Mer is a town that combines beach and mountain with disarming ease. The seaside resort, one of the most popular on the French Mediterranean coast, transforms for a weekend into a trail runner's base camp. The contrast between the sea-level start and the ridges at over 1,000 metres elevation, all within a few kilometres, is striking. The town is also the gateway to the Côte Vermeille, a succession of coves and fishing villages — Collioure, Port-Vendres, Banyuls — that inspired the Fauvist painters Matisse and Derain in the early 20th century.

For international runners, the Trail des Albères is ideally located at the crossroads of French, Spanish, and Catalan worlds. Perpignan airport is 30 minutes away, Girona airport (Spain) 1.5 hours, and the Perpignan TGV station connects Paris in 5 hours. The region offers exceptional Catalan cultural and gastronomic richness: Collioure anchovies, Banyuls and Rivesaltes natural sweet wines, Catalan cuisine blending French and Spanish influences. The stay can be extended with a visit to the Palace of the Kings of Majorca in Perpignan, an excursion to Cadaqués or Figueres (Dalí Museum) on the Spanish side, or a hike along the coastal path between Banyuls and Cerbère, one of the most beautiful coastal trails in the Mediterranean.

Trail des Albères is a 35 km trail race with 1,800 m of elevation gain, located in Argelès-sur-Mer, Pyrénées-Orientales. The next edition is scheduled for 12 April 2026.

Find all official information on the race website.