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Covid-19: will the very popular Marathon de la Liberté take place on June 6 in Normandy?

2021-03-08T12:08:11.708Z


The event, which welcomes some 30,000 runners in early June around Caen (Calvados), is threatened by the epidemic after having already been


In a calendar so thwarted by the health crisis, luck would have it that the Freedom Marathon is run on June 6 this year, 77 years after D-Day on the Normandy coast.

Provided that the event can be held ... Already canceled last year, the event is indeed on hold.

"We will take the final decision on April 4," explains the director of the Marathon, Nicolas Hassane.

Beyond that, we will have to incur costs, our human resources and place orders.

We also think of the competitors, who reflect on their preparation.

We will have to be certain.

"

The orphan rental market

The specter of a second white year hovers above this running festival, spread over a weekend between Caen and the sea. At the exit of Courseulles-sur-Mer, a stone's throw from the starting line of the flagship race, Fabienne is annoyed.

Owner of a rental apartment, she is orphaned by marathon runners.

“We have about twenty regulars.

They come in turn six or eight months before, to train.

We see them again a few weeks before the big day to get back on the course.

»Some rent the accommodation the last days before departure.

So many little habits that have created friendships with the owner, fond of their racing anecdotes.

“But this year, nothing.

No one has booked.

"

30,000 runners over three days

About 30,000 people parade over the three days of events, from the 10 km to the marathon via the Pegasus, a half-marathon named after the first bridge released on D-Day, from which the participants set off.

Without forgetting, among others, the Rochambelle, where thousands of women dressed in pink run for the benefit of the fight against breast cancer.

The Courants de la Liberté, their former name, are very popular.

Including behind the balustrades.

“There are a lot of people to encourage the runners,” comments Laurence, florist in Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer.

I have a lot of respect for them.

It's beautiful to see them pass.

"

A tribute to D-Day fighters

The first part of the marathon runs along the D-Day landing beaches.

A memorial vocation which is important for Laurence: “My grandparents created the store in 1938. They lived through war and D-Day.

This race is moving.

It is a tribute ”.

This sporting nod to history began in 1988 before growing up.

Jean-Christophe James keeps distant memories.

This inhabitant of Mathieu, north of Caen, took the start of the Pégasus in 1995 and participated in each of the races until 2008. “Before, Mathieu was at the 35th km of the marathon.

This is a time when you need support.

When you cross your village, it gives back energy.

"

No new registrations this year

The small town is very attached to the event, it which sees passing up to three events per edition: 10 km, half and marathon.

The last two cities still use the streets of Mathieu.

“It's a whole organization, proclaims, all smiles, Edith Duboille, deputy mayor in charge of animation.

80 volunteers are mobilized for the organization with us.

It's a ritual.

For the whole city, it is a moment of meeting, a great animation.

Hundreds of people applaud the peloton in Mathieu, especially around the town hall, where a music group is playing.

So many scenes that could once again only persist in memories in 2021. The organization, which had hoped until the end to be able to organize the races last year, is playing the card of caution.

“There will be no registrations this year.

Only runners who had postponed theirs in 2020 will be able to participate if the event takes place, ”warns the director of the Marathon.

The running festival could be one of the first big events to take place again.

"It would be a beautiful symbol of freedom", slips Nicolas Hassane.

A very uncertain hope, almost two years after an unforgettable edition, in 2019, for the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-03-08

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