Marathon International des Gorges de l'Ardèche, live.

Through the Ardèche gorges by boat

The Marathon International des Gorges de l'Ardèche is a canoe and kayak race through the gorges of the Ardèche river, from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche.

The 42nd edition is on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November 2026, organised by Vallon Plein Air. The race was first held in 1985 with 130 starters, and the record over the full course, 1 hour 27 minutes 50 seconds, dates from 1994. Around 300 volunteers help run the weekend.

The main marathon starts on Saturday at 11:00 from La petite Mer in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and covers 34 km to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, for K1, K2, C1 and C2 boats. Paddlers are placed on start lines for elite, composite and plastic boats, must be 15 or older, and can take on food at the Gournier bivouac along the way.

Two races of 28 km start earlier from the beach upstream of the Pont d'Arc. At 09:00 the Ard'River Paddle sends off stand-up paddlers on boards for one to four people, on whitewater and without leashes, a race that has been part of the weekend since 2016. At 10:00 the Challenge follows for big boats with 3 to 12 seats, such as C9, V6 outriggers, K4 and Ontario canoes, and costumes are welcome.

On Friday from 15:00, the Rush du Pont d'Arc is a 4 km sprint from La petite Mer to the beach at the Pont d'Arc, with waves every five minutes and a finish on foot across the beach, open from age 13. It is a good way to see the arch before the long day on Saturday.

On Livebib you can follow a paddler live if they choose to share their own position from the phone they carry on board, for example in a dry bag. That position comes from the paddler, not from the organiser's timing, and the official results are published by the organiser.