Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs - Elevation Profile, Aid Stations and Cutoffs
- Vielle-Aure, Hautes-Pyrénées, France
- 80.5 km
- 5,187 m D+
- 8 aid stations
Map, checkpoints and cutoffs Map · checkpoints · forecast opens Aug 12 Race-day forecast is live
Race-day conditions
Weather, daylight and your arrival time at all 10 checkpoints, set to the 05:00 start.
- Start
- 05:00
- Daylight at the start
- 07:11-20:53
- Aid stations
- 8
Course profile
Vielle-Aure, Hautes-Pyrénées, France
- Distance
- 80.5 km
- Elevation
- +5,187 m -5,187 m About 64 m of climb per km
- Highest point
- 2,876 m Pic du Midi
Next edition Est. Sat 21 Aug 2027
Our estimate for Sat 21 Aug 2027. The organiser has not announced the date for this race yet.
- Start
- Sunrise 2h11 after the start
- Winner ~10h04 10h04 after the start
- Sunset 15h53 after the start
- Median finisher 2026 median 17h37 after the start
- Cutoff 25h after the start
A median finisher runs 3h55 in the dark.
Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs is a 80.5 km ultra-trail with around 5,187 m of elevation gain, starting in Vielle-Aure, Hautes-Pyrénées, France. The overall cutoff is 25 hours. The highest point on the course is Pic du Midi at 2,876 m. That is 64 m of climbing per kilometre. Grand Raid des Pyrénées has 7 races, from 41.6 to 174.2 km; this one ranks 3 of 7 by distance and 2 of 7 by climbing per kilometre.
The biggest climb between checkpoints gains around 1,533 m from Start - Vielle-Aure (km 0) to Restaurant Merlans (outbound) (km 15.6). The steepest sustained section on the elevation profile averages about 19% over roughly 2.2 km around km 36. Crew access is allowed at Restaurant Merlans (outbound) (15.6 km), La Mongie (30.5 km), Tournaboup (50.9 km) and Restaurant Merlans (return) (67.4 km).
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide.
Other distances at Grand Raid des Pyrénées
| Race | Distance | D+ | Cutoff | Next start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRP Ultra Tour 160 | 174.2 km | 10,406 m | 50h00 | Aug 20, 2027 (est.) |
| GRP Tour des Cirques | 126.7 km | 7,036 m | 41h00 | Aug 20, 2027 (est.) |
| GRP Tour des Lacs (this page) | 80.5 km | 5,187 m | 25h00 | Aug 21, 2027 (est.) |
| GRP Tour du Moudang | 60.8 km | 3,515 m | 17h00 | Aug 19, 2027 (est.) |
| GRP Tour du Bastan | 53.3 km | 3,070 m | 15h30 | Aug 19, 2027 (est.) |
| GRP Tour du Néouvielle | 43.1 km | 2,439 m | 12h00 | Aug 20, 2027 (est.) |
| GRP Tour de la Gela | 41.6 km | 3,427 m | 12h30 | Aug 19, 2027 (est.) |
Plan against the cutoffs
Enter a goal finish time and see estimated arrivals vs checkpoint cutoffs.
Estimate your finish
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Course math
Four numbers worked out from this course's distance, elevation and checkpoints.
TrailMath effort-km
158 effort-km
About 17 h for a mid-pack finisher (index 500). Not a pacing guarantee.
Distance + gain ÷ 100 + loss ÷ 200, beside ITRA's gain-only km-effort. Model TM1.0.
How TrailMath works →UTMB Index category
100K
132 km-effort (distance + gain ÷ 100). Calculated from the course figures, not an official classification.
Estimate your UTMB Index → ITRA and UTMB indexes explainedBiggest climb section
+1,533 m
Vielle-Aure → Restaurant Merlans (outbound) · km 0–15.6
The largest gain between two checkpoints, not one continuous climb.
Biggest descent section
−1,423 m
Restaurant Merlans (return) → Vielle-Aure (Finish) · km 67.4–80.5
The largest loss between two checkpoints. ITRA's km-effort ignores descent; TrailMath counts it: 158 km-effort.
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Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs · 2026
Finish times, 2026 edition
1,224 runners started. 1,046 came back. Half of them took longer than 17:37:19. That left the median finisher 7:22:41 inside the 25h cutoff.
Median finish
17:37:19
Half of the 1,046 finishers were still out there at this point.
7:22:41 in hand before the 25h cutoff
The start line
85.5%
1,046 of 1,224 starters made it; 178 did not.
still moving when a cutoff closed
stopped by choice or by the medics
Men and women
Two medians on the same scale. The bars run from the start to the cutoff, so the gap between them is the gap in time.
Men
17:29:34
median finish; average 17:32:33
898 finishers, 86% of the field
Women
18:10:15
median finish; average 18:26:16
148 finishers, 14% of the field
0:40:41 separates the two medians, across 898 men and 148 women.
Finish time by age group
Every track runs from the start to the 25h cutoff, so the empty part of a bar is the time that group's median finisher still had. Men and women are drawn on the same scale.
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ES | 15:36:42 | 20 | |
| SE | 16:26:29 | 305 | |
| M0 | 17:00:37 | 138 | |
| M1 | 17:51:00 | 156 | |
| M2 | 18:33:48 | 135 | |
| M3 | 18:33:02 | 80 | |
| M4 | 18:57:29 | 42 | |
| M5 | 20:40:20 | 13 - small sample, read with care | |
| M6 | 18:36:33 | 8 - small sample, read with care | |
| M7 | - | 1 - too few finishers to publish a time |
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE | 17:39:03 | 56 | |
| M0 | 17:57:25 | 24 | |
| M1 | 18:54:57 | 23 | |
| M2 | 18:29:45 | 24 | |
| M3 | 20:02:58 | 14 - small sample, read with care | |
| M4 | 20:18:54 | 6 - small sample, read with care | |
| M5 | - | 1 - too few finishers to publish a time |
Full bar: 20 finishers or more. Tick alone: fewer than 20, too few for a median to say much. The shaded row is the biggest group.
Where the finishers came from
99% of the finishers came from France alone.
| Nation | Finishers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| France FR | 1,032 98.7% | |
| Canada CA | 4 0.4% | |
| Spain ES | 3 0.3% | |
| Belgium BE | 2 0.2% | |
| Belarus BY | 1 0.1% | |
| Cameroon CM | 1 0.1% | |
| Luxembourg LU | 1 0.1% | |
| Slovakia SK | 1 0.1% | |
| All other nations | 1 0.1% |
Showing 8 of 8 nations.
Bar length is against the largest nation. The smallest counts are drawn at a minimum visible width, so their bars are not to scale.
How these numbers were computed
These are times for runners who finished. They exclude everyone who started and did not, so they describe how long finishing took, not how long the race takes. Bands with only a handful of finishers move a lot from one edition to the next.
We plot the median, not the average. A handful of very quick runners drags the average well below the time half the field actually beat, so the median is the honest number to plan against.
Nationality here shows who travels to this race, not who runs it best. That alone is why a host nation tops almost every list.
Computed from the full official results, verified October 24, 2026 - Official results
Ask the course
Ask GRP Tour des Lacs anything about climbs, pacing, crew or cutoffs.
Answers come from this course's data, your plan and your training.
Which climb should I respect most?
Vielle-Aure to Restaurant Merlans (outbound): +1,533 m over 15.6 km, straight from the gun. Hike the steep sections at an effort you could hold for hours - the race is decided after this climb, not on it.
Where can my crew meet me?
Restaurant Merlans, km 15.6 - the first of 3 crew points. The next is La Mongie, km 30.5. Have them bring warm layers: the course tops out at 2,876 m, through the night, in August.
Is 17h a realistic finish for me?
17h would put you in the faster half of 2026 finishers - the median was 17:37:19. It means holding 12:40/km overall.
The assistant answers that once it can see your training.
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~43 weeks · peak ~8 h/week · 5 run + 2 strength days
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Aid stations and checkpoints
| Checkpoint | Km | Cumulative gain (m) | Cumulative loss (m) | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start - Vielle-Aure Services not published | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Restaurant Merlans (outbound) Crew | 15.6 | 1,533 | 287 | Sat 09:00 |
| Refuge de Campana de Cloutou | 23.3 | 2,032 | 608 | - |
| La Mongie Crew | 30.5 | 2,429 | 1,485 | Sat 13:45 |
| Col de Sencours (before Pic du Midi) | 37.6 | 3,296 | 1,708 | Sat 16:15 |
| Col de Sencours (after Pic du Midi) | 44 | 3,793 | 2,214 | Sat 18:00 |
| Tournaboup Crew | 50.9 | 3,793 | 3,134 | Sat 19:30 |
| Refuge d'Aygues Cluses | 57.3 | 4,499 | 3,134 | Sat 23:00 |
| Restaurant Merlans (return) Crew | 67.4 | 5,010 | 3,764 | Sun 02:30 |
| Vielle-Aure (Finish) Crew | 80.5 | 5,187 | 5,187 | Sun 06:00 |
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide. Source: official race guide, verified October 24, 2026 - Official race website
FAQ
How much elevation gain does Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs have?
Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs has around 5,187 m of cumulative elevation gain and 5,187 m of loss over 80.5 km.
What is the cutoff time for Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs?
The overall Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs cutoff is 25 hours, with intermediate time barriers at major checkpoints. Winning times are typically around 10 hours.
How long is Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs?
Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs covers approximately 80.5 km, starting in Vielle-Aure, Hautes-Pyrénées, France.
What is the highest point of Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs?
The highest point of Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs is Pic du Midi at 2,876 m.
How many aid stations does Grand Raid des Pyrénées Tour des Lacs have and which allow crew?
The checkpoint table lists 8 major aid points between the start and the finish. Crew access is allowed at Restaurant Merlans (outbound) (15.6 km), La Mongie (30.5 km), Tournaboup (50.9 km) and Restaurant Merlans (return) (67.4 km).
Training for this race?
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