Professional cyclist with the TotalEnergies team, Alexys Brunel ran the Lille Marathon at an average pace hailed as exceptional.
A regular on the roads and in cycling races, Alexys Brunel chose this time to swap his bike for a pair of running shoes. The rider, a member of the Vendée-based TotalEnergies team, lined up at the start of the Lille Marathon on Sunday, October 25, 2026, a 42.195-kilometre event contested on the asphalt of the northern metropolis.
According to reports in the regional press, he completed the course while holding an average pace of around 3 minutes 28 seconds per kilometre. A sustained tempo over the queen distance of athletics, it speaks to solid physical condition and an endurance capacity that professional cycling already demands intensively.
Switching disciplines is no small matter. Cycling develops considerable cardiovascular and muscular work, but running imposes different constraints: repeated impact, stress on the joints and pacing over time. Finishing a marathon with such a consistent split therefore implies rapid adaptation, as well as specific preparation for this type of effort.
Performances like these by athletes from another field often capture public interest, as they highlight the versatility of endurance athletes. They also serve as a reminder that qualities of stamina, consistency and mental management of effort can transfer from one sport to another.
The Lille Marathon, which draws thousands of participants every year, provides a fitting setting for this kind of personal challenge. For Alexys Brunel, the race represents an atypical experience within a calendar devoted primarily to road cycling.
According to reports in the regional press, he completed the course while holding an average pace of around 3 minutes 28 seconds per kilometre. A sustained tempo over the queen distance of athletics, it speaks to solid physical condition and an endurance capacity that professional cycling already demands intensively.
Switching disciplines is no small matter. Cycling develops considerable cardiovascular and muscular work, but running imposes different constraints: repeated impact, stress on the joints and pacing over time. Finishing a marathon with such a consistent split therefore implies rapid adaptation, as well as specific preparation for this type of effort.
Performances like these by athletes from another field often capture public interest, as they highlight the versatility of endurance athletes. They also serve as a reminder that qualities of stamina, consistency and mental management of effort can transfer from one sport to another.
The Lille Marathon, which draws thousands of participants every year, provides a fitting setting for this kind of personal challenge. For Alexys Brunel, the race represents an atypical experience within a calendar devoted primarily to road cycling.
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Source: Ouest-France