Trail du Périgord Noir

The Trail du Périgord Noir is a 42-kilometer race with 1,400 meters of elevation gain held in Sarlat-la-Canéda, in the Dordogne department, at the heart of one of the richest territories in France for historical and natural heritage. The Périgord Noir (Black Périgord) owes its name to the density of its holm oak forests whose dark foliage covers the limestone hills, creating a landscape of austere and bewitching beauty. Sarlat, a medieval jewel classified as a City of Art and History, has the highest density of listed and registered historical monuments in all of France, with its Renaissance mansions, cobbled lanes, and Gothic cathedral.

The Trail du Périgord Noir course takes runners through an exceptional landscape where every valley, every cliff conceals treasures. The trails overlook the Dordogne valley and the Vézère valley, nicknamed the "Valley of Man" for its extraordinary concentration of prehistoric sites. Runners pass near the decorated caves of Lascaux — the "Sistine Chapel of Prehistory" —, the rock shelters of La Madeleine and Le Moustier, and the troglodyte villages of La Roque-Saint-Christophe, witnesses to 55,000 years of continuous human presence in this region.

With 1,400 meters of elevation gain over 42 kilometers, the Trail du Périgord Noir presents a demanding profile with incessant climbs and descents between the limestone plateaus and valley floors. The cliffs bordering the rivers impose steep and technical ascents, while descents on white limestone trails, sometimes unstable and slippery, demand concentration and agility. The undergrowth of holm oak and chestnut trees offers shaded and technical passages where protruding roots and stones hidden beneath dead leaves trap unwary ankles.

The heritage of the Périgord Noir extends far beyond prehistory. Medieval castles crowning the cliffs — Beynac, Castelnaud, Marqueyssac, Commarque — recall that this region was the theater of ceaseless struggles between the kingdoms of France and England during the Hundred Years' War. The hanging gardens of Marqueyssac, the gabares gliding down the Dordogne, and the villages classified among the "Most Beautiful Villages of France" such as Domme, La Roque-Gageac, and Beynac-et-Cazenac form a heritage ensemble of dizzying richness that runners discover along the trails.

The Trail du Périgord Noir is an experience that combines intense physical effort with constant cultural wonder. Its 42 kilometers through this classified territory offer a journey through time, from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers to medieval lords, through the peasants who patiently shaped these landscapes of walnut trees, tobacco fields, and black truffle grounds. Aid stations celebrate this land of gastronomy: duck foie gras, Périgord walnuts, black truffle in season, Périgord cabécou goat cheese, and wines from Bergerac or Domme. For trail runners from around the world, running in the Périgord Noir means treading ground where humanity left its oldest artistic footprints.