The Course.

Today, the Marvejols - Mende half marathon is well know for being one of the toughest races in France, it has a reputation worldwide. Nevertheless people enjoy returning each year. The countryside, the entertainment along the route, friendship, "Sunday Night Fever", is all here to make sport fun !!!

Start

At 9 o'clock the race starts.  Coming from distant country and from all parts of France, more than 5000 runners young or old, everyone crazy about the road racing, rush forward along a winding and mountainous stretch of 22.4 kms throughout the wonderfull Lozere countryside..

 

Only some minutes after the start the wide crowd of runners is spreading out.

All along the course the crowd, musicians, dancers and  the numerous volunteers  ( more than 550 ) are there to support you.

For the first 5 kms the race is on the road, wich is not as flat as it seems in Bouldoire, then the " Pont des Ecureuils" (698 m) and above all the two mythical passes.

First of all the "Col de Goudard" and what a hill!!!. (On 1023 m), then the terrible slopes toward Valcroze as far as the "Baraque de la Planchette"  (688 m).

Then the "Cote de Chabrits" (960 m) and participants just have to run down to Mende and up the final slope to the finsh line ( Foirail).

Finally the relief and satisfaction of having run and finishedthe  mythical Marvejols-Mende.

It is  10. 20 in the morning and the post race festivities are on everybody's lips. The Aligot-Party on Sunday evening but above all the next race that is to say running trough Mende with or ... without clothes.

" Despite the suffering, they are already talking about next years race ".
The crazy tarmac runners will alwway be there : " See you next year !".

Informations Semi marathon Marvejols Mende Cafe de la Paix BP 93 48001 MENDE cedex 033 04 66 49 30 29 FAX 033 04 66 49 36 70 E-mail: courir@marvejols-mende.org