There is that moment, just before the start, when the morning air still smells of damp stone and crushed thyme. Shoulders loosen, watches are set, and the low light of Haute-Provence picks out the hills one by one. For twelve years now, the Forcarun has gathered that same shiver of anticipation at the foot of Forcalquier, in a landscape that never lets itself be run without a little character.
Forcarun: twelve years of running in the Pays de Forcalquier
Twelve years is no small thing for a race. It is the time it takes for a fixture to become a habit, and then a tradition. The Forcarun has settled into the region's running calendar the way one settles into a familiar armchair: quietly, but for good. Runners come back for the route, of course. Above all, they come back for the atmosphere, that Provençal warmth where you congratulate one another at the finish with the same generosity you showed at the twentieth kilometre.
What strikes you, the first time you discover the Forcarun, is the loyalty of the field. Regulars who know every surge, every stretch of chalky track, every bend where the shade finally returns. And newcomers, more numerous each year, who quickly understand why people speak of this race with such affection. For the current edition's programme, race formats and entry details, we invite you to consult the organisers' official information.
Running in Haute-Provence: terrain you have to earn
The relief here does not lie. The hills of the Pays de Forcalquier alternate dry climbs with deceptive false flats, stony paths with packed earth tracks that make your stride feel weightless. The ground changes every five hundred metres, and with it the way you place your foot. It is demanding, it is alive, and that is precisely what makes running in Haute-Provence so compelling.
Then there is the setting, which matters more than most of us care to admit. Lavender fields still green in spring, thickets of holm oak, silvery olive trees trembling at the first breath of wind. In summer, the air hums with cicadas and the heat settles on your skin like a second layer. In autumn, the light turns golden, almost liquid, and you find yourself running longer than planned without quite knowing why.
Runners preparing for the Forcarun know it well: the weeks beforehand are won in the legs as much as in the mind. Learning the terrain, getting used to the climbs, making peace with the wind that drops down from the plateaux. There is something deeply satisfying about training in the very landscape you will race through on the day.
A 5* hotel near Forcalquier as your base camp
Five minutes from Forcalquier, Domaine Ribiera unfolds across twelve hectares of hillside, dry-stone paths and pale stone buildings. People often describe it as a Provençal village, and the image rings true: you wander from one building to the next as you would through a hamlet, with that rare sense of having an entire place to yourself.
For a runner, geography counts. Staying a few minutes from the start line, in a 5* hotel near Forcalquier, transforms a race weekend: no endless drive at dawn, no complicated logistics, just time enough for a coffee while the mist lifts off the valley. The suites and luxury rooms at Domaine Ribiera offer that precious quiet on the eve of a challenge, the kind that lets you truly sleep.
At the restaurant Le Ribiera, the gastronomic cuisine is built on local, seasonal produce. The terrace opens onto the golf course and the hillside, and you quickly appreciate the value of dinner served there, in the fading light, just as your legs begin to remind you they exist.
After the Forcarun: the spa, the race's true second half
A race does not end at the finish line. It truly ends in the hours that follow, when the body asks for warmth, water and silence. The domaine's wellness area brings together a heated indoor pool, a hammam and a sauna: three complementary ways of unknotting everything the hills tightened.
We particularly like the sequence. First the steam of the hammam, thick and enveloping, easing the neck and shoulders before you even notice. Then the dry, candid heat of the sauna, restoring order to the muscles. Finally the heated pool, where you float rather than swim, gaze lost in the ceiling. The treatments and massages on the menu complete the moment for those who wish to take their recovery further.
Extending your stay: a golf weekend in Provence after the effort
The day after a race, walking often does more good than complete rest. The domaine's compact 9-hole course lends itself beautifully to an easy return to movement: a few hours in the open air, the crack of a ball in the morning quiet, grass still beaded with dew underfoot. A golf weekend in Provence slips naturally into the days that follow a race weekend.
The practice area and putting green let you work on your technique without unnecessary fatigue, while lessons with a Golf Pro instructor suit curious beginners and seasoned players looking to refine their swing alike. All around, the region invites effortless exploration: the lavender of the Valensole plateau twenty minutes away, Manosque also twenty minutes away, the Verdon Gorges at forty-five minutes and Aix-en-Provence at forty.
Whether you come to beat your personal best or simply to share in the atmosphere of the Forcarun, Domaine Ribiera welcomes you the way a runner ought to be welcomed: with a proper bed, a proper table and hot water waiting. 👉 Discover our suites, our spa and our golf course at www.ribiera.fr and book your stay in Haute-Provence.
Twelve years of running, and still the same urge to set off again.