Challenge Vallée de la Drôme

It’s in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the Drôme department, specifically in Crest, that your next sports challenge will take place 📍. It’s around mid-May that the association Marathon Nature Drôme invites you to the Vallée de la Drôme Challenge 🗓️. Embedded in the landscape of trail running for about twenty years now, this great convivial and festive event will welcome you over the entire weekend 😁. A favorable weather for sport 🌤️, with race formats very varied… So? What more could you ask for?

We’d better warn you right away: the program is packed 🤰🏻. If our calculations are right, there are 3 challenges, 10 races, 1 village, 2 pasta parties, 1 show and 1 breakfast 🥐. Wow, you can bet the organizers aren’t going to pull their punches. Let’s dive straight into the heart of the matter because we have a lot to tell you… And what an opener! The weekend will start on Friday, early evening 🌘, with the famous Dungeon Race 🏰. Historical and emblematic of the Drôme landscape, the Tour de Crest is known for being the tallest dungeon in Europe 🇪🇺. A true architectural masterpiece from the medieval era ⚔️, this ancient fortress will offer you 524 steps in a format of time-trial ⌚️ and a panoramic view over the Forêt de Saoû 🌲, the valley and the reliefs of the Drôme, from the Vercors to the monts d’Ardèche. 🏔️

It’s in the night from Friday to Saturday that the various adventurers 🤠, from 93km, 113km and 120km, will gather at the Pont Frédéric Mistral, facing the tower, for a start in the headlamp start 🔦. These Ultra races will take you through charming towns, but also vertiginous passages 😵‍💫, especially at the summit of the 3 becs, not to mention beautiful singletracks, in short, the grand adventure awaits. The day will unfold, shortly before sunrise 🌅, with the Trail des Maquisards. On the program, 67km for 2950mD+ and a route that will follow historical trails of the Vercors and more precisely the trace or the path of the Maquisards, the path they used to avoid contact with the invader. The sun will finally rise over the commune of Piégros-la-Clastre for the start of the Skyrunning 🌄 of 39km including 2700mD+. A perfect opportunity for D+ lovers and XXL landscapes to continue the adventurers of the end of Drôme with the 3 becs and the grand hollow on the horizon. To end the day beautifully, at siesta time, the two trails des Mousquetaires from 7 and 12km will start from the parking at Intermarché 🏪 in Crest. From road to singles, small climbs and then the push for a perfect first foray into trail running along the Drôme 💦. Saturday’s day will close with a pasta-party 🍝 accompanied by a spectacle. 🎭

And Sunday? What wonderful things await? This time, just before the mass begins, two events will start in parallel. The Drôme & Nature Half Marathon of 21km is a reference for now 15 editions 😮. This expert mix of trail and nature running is recognized as the oldest track of the Vallée de la Drôme Challenge 👴🏻. A small prayer 🙏🏼 will be in order to conquer the terrible Raye ascent on the Trail de la Crête. 2500mD+ over 40km, and, as the name implies, a long and beautiful trail in Crête with a stunning view of the Rhône Valley on your left, the Vercors plateaus, and in the background the Southern Alps ⛰️. Once again the 3 becs are everywhere, the Roche Colombe, the descent to Bezot’s cross before a final pass on the Roc heads will complete your course. The loop is closed, you are now a finisher and you’ve earned it. 🏅

But? Didn’t we forget something? Yes indeed, the challenges! The first, the Crestois Challenge brings together the 12km of the Mousqueteers and the Drôme & Nature Half Marathon of 21km. The second, the Val de Drôme Challenge brings together the 120 km of Adventurers at the end of Drôme and the Trail de la Crête from 40km. To finish, the last challenge, the Challenge of the 7 Mercenaries is a challenge that groups 7 races. Yes indeed, you read that right, 7 races 😅 ! We invite you to discover in the “ To each their distance” tab the details of this event. 😊

If you want to extend this already packed weekend, Valencia to the north and Montélimar to the south are two towns to discover 🧭. About thirty kilometers separates you from the Pogne and the Nougat. Your choice then between the Parc Jouvet and the Museum of Art and Archaeology of Valence or the Chaudron d’Or and the Museum of Nougat of the Fabrique Arnaud Soubeyran of Montélimar. But that’s not all, in terms of culinary specialties 🍽️, you can also find Nyons olives and olive oil 🫒, raviole du Dauphiné, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, high-provence spelt, or the walnuts of Royans. 😋

We hope we haven’t forgotten anything; there are so many things to do during this weekend, so don’t hesitate to join us! 😉