Trail du Pays de Gex

The Trail du Pays de Gex is a 40-kilometer race with 1,800 meters of elevation gain, starting from Gex in the Ain department. The Pays de Gex, a narrow plain wedged between the Jura mountain chain and the Swiss border, offers a unique geographic setting: from the Jura trails, runners enjoy spectacular panoramas over Lake Geneva, the city of Geneva with its jet d'eau, and the Mont Blanc chain barring the eastern horizon. This border territory, long a free trade zone, possesses a distinctive identity that is at once Jurassian, Genevan, and Savoyard.

The course climbs from the Gex plain toward the Jura ridges, which peak here at the Crêt de la Neige at 1,720 meters — the highest point of the entire Jura massif. Runners first cross the pastures and deciduous forests of the foothills before entering the vast spruce and fir forests covering the mountain's flanks. The summit ridges offer a grandiose spectacle: on one side, the view plunges over the Pays de Gex, Lake Geneva, and the Alps; on the other, it embraces the Jura combes — a succession of parallel valleys separated by wooded anticlines extending westward.

The 1,800 meters of elevation gain are concentrated in the major climbs from the plain to the ridges, with particularly steep sections in the eastern slope forests. The Jura terrain is characteristic: limestone trails that can be muddy, passages through lapiaz and dolines scattered across the summit plateaus, crossings of high-altitude pastures where Montbéliarde cows graze to the sound of their cowbells. In winter and early spring, snow patches persist long on north-facing slopes, making certain passages tricky. The combes, those enclosed valleys typical of the Jura, can trap cold air and create surprising temperature inversions.

Gex is a small historic town with remarkable architectural heritage: its 12th-century Church of Saint-Pierre, 16th-century arcaded houses, and covered market bear witness to its long history as the capital of the Pays de Gex. Today the town lives to the rhythm of its proximity to Geneva and CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory, whose underground ring passes beneath the surrounding fields. This coexistence of Jurassian rurality and cutting-edge scientific research gives the Pays de Gex a singular atmosphere.

For international runners, the Trail du Pays de Gex is exceptionally well located, just minutes from Geneva International Airport. The combination of an authentic Jura trail with views over the Alps and Lake Geneva makes for a unique visual experience. The Pays de Gex captivates with its cheese gastronomy — Bleu de Gex, a PDO cheese with a subtle flavor — and its strategic position between France and Switzerland. It is an ideal trail for Geneva-based runners or those passing through who wish to discover the French Jura in an accessible yet demanding format.