This fall, I have been living in Saint Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, 40 kilometers from Paris. The big running event here is the Route de 4 Chateaux, which features one of the most … MORE
This fall, I have been living in Saint Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, 40 kilometers from Paris. The big running event here is the Route de 4 Chateaux, which features one of the most beautiful and challenging courses I have ever run on (and I have been racing since 1974). I’m a roadie, not a trail runner, but I was fortunate to be able prepare for the event in the woods with the local running club, CIV Chevreuse, so I could attempt to stay vertical on the course. The French are serious trail runners, tough and fearless in the wild! The first time I was out in the Foret of Miridon, I was glad to be with a group, as we encountered some wild boar (sangliers) and the terrain was difficult.
The first 10k of the course is on paved roads with some cobblestone sections, winding from St Rémy (at the end of the RER B from Paris) to Chevreuse. The area is dominated by the Chateau and Domain de Coubertin, historic family home of the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic games and the region takes it’s athletic heritage seriously with extensive bike paths, hiking trails and sporting facilities. The course is rough and hilly, but there is great support from the locals, as well as an army of enthusiastic volunteers. The chateaux (where we were entertained with live music) are situated in or near the woods and you will run on dirt paths, gravel, mud, mud with boulders, slippery wet leaves in mud, more uphills and steep muddy downhills before you head back to the finish. I wore some lightweight, flexible trail shoes to run in. This is not a course for your carbon plate racers.
There was a water station near one of the chateaux near the halfway point. Finishers receive a t shirt and snacks, including madelines, chocolate, dried fruit and spice cake. There was a drawing for a couple of mountain bikes and the overall and age group winners received bottles of champagne and bouquets of flowers. I won the M6F division, Masters female over 60, and I made good use of the bubbly later that day to recuperate.
My one big criticism of the event was the start. There was no seeding of runners gathered on the narrow road well before the 9:30 start time. The gun didn’t go off until 9:45 and a large mob of runners was allowed to stream in through the side in front of starting line. I had to put elbows out and run like hell not to get trampled. I didn’t see a timing mat at the start, although there was one at the finish, and there was no indication of chip vs gun time. My Garmin was spot on with official results so I must have been in the right place when the race started, but I feel for the people a little behind me who were in the worst of the crush.
A few things to keep in mind if you want to run a local race in France: Medical certificates, signed and stamped by a doctor, are required for entry. the “Certificat Medical” is good for a year and can be found on line and uploaded with your race registration. 4Chateaux opened entry late in September and filled 2500 spots quickly. Most events have Facebook pages where you can message race organisers or get a heads up about registration and event details. Route de 4 Chateaux used a third party registration site, Onscrit, to process payment and Medical certificate compliance. If you are going to France and want to jump into an event, plan ahead. Bon Courage et Bonne Course!
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18.5K Road/Trail race in Chevreuse
This fall, I have been living in Saint Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, 40 kilometers from Paris. The big running event here is the Route de 4 Chateaux, which features one of the most … MORE
This fall, I have been living in Saint Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, 40 kilometers from Paris. The big running event here is the Route de 4 Chateaux, which features one of the most beautiful and challenging courses I have ever run on (and I have been racing since 1974). I’m a roadie, not a trail runner, but I was fortunate to be able prepare for the event in the woods with the local running club, CIV Chevreuse, so I could attempt to stay vertical on the course. The French are serious trail runners, tough and fearless in the wild! The first time I was out in the Foret of Miridon, I was glad to be with a group, as we encountered some wild boar (sangliers) and the terrain was difficult.
The first 10k of the course is on paved roads with some cobblestone sections, winding from St Rémy (at the end of the RER B from Paris) to Chevreuse. The area is dominated by the Chateau and Domain de Coubertin, historic family home of the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic games and the region takes it’s athletic heritage seriously with extensive bike paths, hiking trails and sporting facilities. The course is rough and hilly, but there is great support from the locals, as well as an army of enthusiastic volunteers. The chateaux (where we were entertained with live music) are situated in or near the woods and you will run on dirt paths, gravel, mud, mud with boulders, slippery wet leaves in mud, more uphills and steep muddy downhills before you head back to the finish. I wore some lightweight, flexible trail shoes to run in. This is not a course for your carbon plate racers.
There was a water station near one of the chateaux near the halfway point. Finishers receive a t shirt and snacks, including madelines, chocolate, dried fruit and spice cake. There was a drawing for a couple of mountain bikes and the overall and age group winners received bottles of champagne and bouquets of flowers. I won the M6F division, Masters female over 60, and I made good use of the bubbly later that day to recuperate.
My one big criticism of the event was the start. There was no seeding of runners gathered on the narrow road well before the 9:30 start time. The gun didn’t go off until 9:45 and a large mob of runners was allowed to stream in through the side in front of starting line. I had to put elbows out and run like hell not to get trampled. I didn’t see a timing mat at the start, although there was one at the finish, and there was no indication of chip vs gun time. My Garmin was spot on with official results so I must have been in the right place when the race started, but I feel for the people a little behind me who were in the worst of the crush.
A few things to keep in mind if you want to run a local race in France: Medical certificates, signed and stamped by a doctor, are required for entry. the “Certificat Medical” is good for a year and can be found on line and uploaded with your race registration. 4Chateaux opened entry late in September and filled 2500 spots quickly. Most events have Facebook pages where you can message race organisers or get a heads up about registration and event details. Route de 4 Chateaux used a third party registration site, Onscrit, to process payment and Medical certificate compliance. If you are going to France and want to jump into an event, plan ahead. Bon Courage et Bonne Course!