From Vineyards to Streets: Run In Reims 2018

By Junet Bedayn and Clement Streiff

Sunday morning, thousands of cheerful — and some not so cheerful — runners busied the streets of the City of Kings. The fourth edition of the Run In Reims gathered exactly 12,508 challenge-seeking men and women defying the cold but bright weather of a typical October day. Taking place in “one of the most charming cities of France, full of history and culture” (as written on the organizers’ website) this year’s event saw an increase of 4% in the number of participants compared to the 2017 edition.

The race attracted an array of runners due to the three distinct distances proposed. Participants could choose between a ten-kilometer race, a half marathon, or a full marathon. The latter has already built up a strong reputation for being quite unique, as participants run through vineyards and are rewarded with a glass of champagne and a massage after crossing the finish line. What could be more emblematic of Reims?

“I came here to have fun and run with my friends” commented one runner in the crowd while waiting for the start signal of the ten-kilometer race to be given. While some visibly went to simply have a good time and to enjoy the beautiful sights that Reims can offer, others were in a more competitive mindset. Some hoped  for a personal record or a good ranking, and even a combination of the too in some cases.

“I’m hoping to go below the fifty-minute zone this time,” mentioned a motivated participant. In either case, both kinds of runners got to enjoy the strong support coming from families, friends, and by-passers standing by the lane during the race.

Many Sciences Po students also took part in the event (along with the campus Deputy Director, Olivier Chopin!). Most of them were wearing a Handicap International sticker to show their support for the organization, as it had organized a fundraiser on campus targeted at the Run In Reims participants. If any of your friends had sore legs last week, don’t be too puzzled: you can easily guess where they spent their Sunday morning.

Needless to say, the fifth edition of the Run In Reims is expected for October 2019.

You can find the top results of each race here:

Men’s 10K

1. Christophe Gabet – 31:13
2. Florian Girard – 31:21
3. Antoine Rollet – 31:26

Women’s 10K

1. Meline Rollin – 35:23
2. Saliha Rarbi – 37:25
3. Célia Fouchere – 37:52

Men’s semi-marathon

1. Cédric Lefevre – 01:08:57
2. Jérémy Zacarias – 01:12:36
3. Lenaic Leroy – 01:13:23
   

Women’s semi-marathon

1. Delphine Dubois – 01:21:23
2. Estelle Varenne – 01:22:58
3. Emilie Labruyere – 01:23:21

Men’s marathon

1. Alexandre Purnelle – 02:35:11
2. Antoine Rougnieux – 02:35:11
3. Bart Verbeke – 02:40:33

Women’s marathon

1. Aurore Tual – 03:19:30
2. Nathalie Hannotel – 03:25:13
3. Flavie Rousse – 03:27:30

You can also access the general rankings via this link: http://www.runinreims.com/fr/evenement/resultats.

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• A Conversation with Ambassador Denise Bauer
• A Conversation with Deputy Chief of Mission David McCawley
• Dans Le Couteau, Salman Rushdie entre la vie, la mort, et l’amour
• Manque d’air.
• A Weekend in Etretat