Ever wanted to experience what it feels like to run a marathon overseas? Never have the time or finances to do so? Well, running races aboard is not such an expensive exercise if you include them in your itinerary when traveling for business or pleasure. We planned a holiday in France and Switzerland and our dates were fixed due to work commitments. Finding marathons that fits into your plans can be quite difficult, because there are so many good races too choose from within 200km! We selected the Muttenz Marathon in Switzerland and the Sénart Marathon in France.
Muttenz Marathon, 26 April 2014
Muttenz is a small village just south of Basel, Switzerland. The marathon is advertised as a small intimate race with a limit of only 100 runners. On the day there were two additional options, a ½ and a 2/3 (28km) marathon. At race registration we received our numbers and timing chips as large as a cell phone that was stapled to our number. The race only started at 10h00 (!) and with a “HOP HOPHOP” we were off. We decided that we will not run together – Liana was to run at her pace and I was on an easy run, just doing the distance. The race route consisted of three loops in an approximate cloverleaf with the fortified church of St. Arbogast on the Kirchplatz at the centre. The route was complicated but well-marked and we never felt like we might get lost. The first loop of ±18km was fairly flat and ran through the village and around on the greenbelt on the banks of the Bris canal and around through the shipyard on the Rhine River (border with Germany). Locals found this section a bit boring but for us it was interesting to see the interface of the highly industrialized section with the surrounding natural beauty. After the shipyard, we headed back to the village centre past a public gun range that made it very clear that although Switzerland is an impartial, peaceful nation they should not be taken lightly! The gun range parking lot was full and one could clearly hear crackle and bang of high calibre and automatic rifles with the occasional phufft of a hand gun.
The second loop was where the fun started with a significant climb up the hill that overlooks Muttenz. The hills are well used by other outdoor sportsmen and women running, hiking and cycling. The route took us past pastures, fields of canola and wheat, as well as through plantations and natural forest. At this stage, it is worth mentioning that the feeding stations were at ±5km intervals and had water, “Iso”, Cola and snacks (Banana, pretzels). This means that most people carried belts with several bottles with all kinds of doepa. As we headed back down to the village from the hills, we passed some vineyards and even a display of the local wines with the wine still in the bottle!
As we rounded the church for the third and final loop I could not help being a bit sad that we were heading up the hill, approaching it from a different angle, for the final time. In the time it takes to run a marathon one can feel a connection to a place that could only be experienced and not communicated. The last loop meandered through plantations and forests and then finally through some vineyards on the outskirts of the village. As we (I made a friend on route) approached St. Arbogast with a downhill finish, I tried to soak it all in and make it last longer but your senses can take in just so much and then you must finish. With only 41 finishers this was one of the smallest marathons that we have taken part in.
The Muttenz marathon will not become one of the iconic races that will feature on everyone’s “must do” list BUT it embodies what running means to us and we are grateful for the experience. The whole race, from the race organisers and support staff to spectators and runners, everyone there had a common goal – to enjoy a marathon in the beautiful village of Muttenz.
Sénart Marathon, 1 May 2014
The Sénart marathon takes place annually on 1 May (also Labour Day, public holiday in France and celebrated as “Spring Day”) in the Sénart district 30km southeast of Paris. The race route connects the eight villages that forms this district (Cesson, Combs-la-Ville, Tigery, Vert-Saint-Denis, Nandy, Mossy Cramayel, Réau, and Savigny-le-Temple).
In contrast to the Muttenz marathon, the Sénart Marathon had a lot more participants (1500 in 42km & 2000 in 10km) and an almost flat route (hard work!). What made the route interesting was that after meandering through each village, we ran through a section of “country side” that connects the villages, including forests, canola and wheat pastures and vegetable patches. Each village made a lot of effort to welcome runners to their “home town”, including dancers, bands of all sorts and lots of spectators to encourage runners for the distance that still remains. The cobble stone sections in some of the villages were, however, not welcomed by tired legs and feet 😉
The organization of the event was excellent, with much attention to detail. For instance, each runner received a bag with your race number on at registration that could be handed in at the start and be transported to the finish. Runners were also well catered for along the route with alternating water and feeding stations every 3-5 km. The feeding stations included Powerade, bananas, oranges, rice crispy bars and “suikerklontjies”! Sponges were even handed out at water stations – something we only experience at Comrades in SA. You could also hand in your own “muti” at the start to be collected at specific water stations. Apart from the usual glass of Coke at the finish, additional refreshments were provided.
Since “Je neparle pasfrançais” or knew the area, we opted for the “Comfort Package” when we registered for the race. This proved to be an excellent option and ensured that we only had to concentrate on the race and not worry about all the other logistics! The package included the entry fee, pasta party and hotel accommodation on the night before the race, transport to and from the race and access to a hot shower in the hotel after the race. At the pasta party we were privileged to share a table with three elite athletes from Kenya who have a French guy as manager. True to their “status”, they won both the 10km (Stanley Beth Kiprotich) and 42km (Jacob Kitur)!
Since the Sénart Marathon was our third marathon in 13 days (Two Oceans and Muttenz the previous Saturdays), we decided to “take it easy” (easy = Hano’s heart rate < 140bpm). However, we managed a sprint finish for the last 4km to complete the race in 3h48min!
