Since its first edition in 1995, any modification is done with moderation on the Foulées de la Cathédrale. Three days before the 27th edition, this Saturday June 25, the best placed to talk about it is its “historic” organizer, Patrick Esnault: “Les Foulées, since the birth of the event, is above all the cathedral, Chartres intramural and we stick to it”, details the sexagenarian, head of the running section of the ASPTT Chartres, who co-organizes the event with Republican Echo.
Moving Place des Épars
The few changes that have taken place since the department’s most famous non-stadium race changed centuries are two logistical changes. With the record crowds recorded until 2019 (nearly 2,000 people engaged in the Foulées alone, 4,000 on the Pink Foulées), holding departures and arrivals at the foot of the famous monument had become impossible.
Meeting with Jean-François Lerma, kingpin of the Foulées de la Cathédrale and the Foulées roses de Chartres: “A big organization”
“It had even become dangerous with the street furniture, the plots, the sidewalks. We therefore redirected ourselves to the Place des Épars for the arrival site from 2016. Knowing that there is already a significant number of tourists during this period”, explains Patrice Godard, member of the restricted team of three route designers, since the early 2010s (Patrick Esnault and Thierry Jeille complete the trio).
From now on, we still have two ascents of rue Saint-Pierre. Which is nothing.
–
Another change in 2018 also changed the situation. The change from three to two loops led to a significant change in the course, in 2018. The three “climbs” of the formidable rue Saint-Eman were reduced to two, in particular for traffic jam reasons, with first competitors too quickly on the heels of the latecomers. A course more “affordable”?
“Now, we still have two ascents of rue Saint-Pierre. Which is not nothing, ”adjusts Patrick Esnault, who defends the stability of the course at all costs. “Participants, for the most part, want to be able to compare their performance from year to year. When we change things, it’s essentially that we are forced to do so,” he continues.
D-3 before the 27th edition of the Foulées de la Cathédrale and the 8th of the Foulées roses de Chartres: register!
Like the closure of the gardens of the bishopric that Sylvain Dodé and Julie Chuberre Dodé, last year’s winners, and others have not been able to cross since 2019, works on rue des Bouchers have led to an adjustment with a passing by rue du Petit change and rue du Puits de l’Ours, which lengthens the route by a hundred meters (9.9 km). The advantage of a popular and unofficial race, such as the Chartres half-marathon, for example…
Stride from the cathedral. This Saturday, June 25, at 8:30 p.m. Departure from the media library. 12€ registration on the internet (18€ on site). The start of the 5 km of Les Foulées roses will be given at 7 p.m. (10 €, online registrations only up to 30 minutes before departure), but it will be possible to complete the route walking in the time slot from 2 to 6 p.m.
–
–
David Berthelem
–
