par Yvan11 » sa fiche K
» 26 Juil 2008, 09:08
vu sur Runner's world :
Top 10 French Races
By Mark Hewsion
France's best, from 20K to 100K. Read on, and your feet will start twitching...
Bored with the usual merry-go-round of local 10Ks and half-marathons? Looking to combine a new racing experience with a break away from home while exploring new territory? Don’t want to fly halfway around the world to do it?
France could be the answer you are looking for. It’s a country with an impressive array of landscapes, an astonishing wealth of cultural variety, and a running scene that is simply unique. What’s more, it isn’t too far away. If you live in the south of England, getting to France is probably easier than travelling up to the Great North Run – and you might not struggle as much with the language. Even the beaches of the south or the mountains of the east are but a short flight away.
With that in mind, here are a few racing ideas for your spring or summer holiday. The races listed here are not necessarily the best-known races in the country – we assume you don’t need to know any more about the Paris or Médoc Marathons – nor are they necessarily the biggest, although some of them are considered classics. This list is intended to give you a taste – sometimes literally – of the variety of races available in France.
The French predilection for something just a little bit different means that many of these races are run over non-standard distances, are often run point-to-point rather than out-and-back, and may involve unusual contexts or locations. It may seem ridiculous to attempt a marathon while sampling a selection of fine wines, but in France it’s all just part of the experience. Whether you yearn for the majesty of the Mont Blanc scenery, the medieval towns and châteaux of La France profonde, the spectacular coastlines of the north or the non-stop festivities and sun of the south, there are races to do and places to see there.
Each race has a page of its own:
Les 100K du Périgord Noir, April
L’ultramarathon du Salève, May
Les 50K de la Côte des Légendes, May
Le Marathon de la Liberté, June
La Transbaie, June
Marvejols-Mende, July
Le Championnat du Canigou, August
Le Marathon du Cahors et de la Gastronomie, August
La Ronde Cérétane, September
Les 20K de St Tropez, October