This weekend is the 41st edition of Tout Rennes Court. The event is organized by the Coursss association, its president Cyril Patrault was the guest of France Bleu Armorique this Friday morning at 7:45 am.
France Bleu Armorique: How many participants are there this year?
Cyril Patrault: We have registered 10,500 participants, to which must be added all the participants of the Colombia march and all the children who have been running since yesterday in the Rennes parks. It’s more than last year since we were on a reduced edition due to the Covid but it’s less than in 2019. It’s normal, all the races in the region lose on average between 15 and 20% of attendees.
Nine races are on the program on Saturday and Sunday. Can you detail them for us?
I’m going to start with the Colombia march which takes place on Saturday afternoon for the fight against breast cancer, as part of Pink October. As for Sunday, we spend on the sporting part where we will start with a half-marathon followed by a popular ten kilometer. In the middle of the day, we will find two ten kilometers reserved for the elites, one ten kilometers for men and one ten kilometers for women. Everyone will spend this year in front of the town hall, in front of or behind the Parliament of Brittany. For the long routes, obviously, they will see a lot more things, the quays, the horizon tower, etc. As for the afternoon, they will also find great things since they will face the Saint-Georges Palace at some point in their race before going back up to Parliament.
Is it expected to climb a little on some courses?
Ah yes, we weren’t nice to the runners, it’s true. In particular the runners of the semi who will have to pass the Duchess-Anne coast twice, at the foot of the Parc du Thabor. So there, obviously, the second time is likely to hurt very, very badly.
You have to watch the weather very closely, what does this weekend look like?
Yes and we are reassured, the rain should not arrive until Monday, it is a very good thing for us. We will have ideal weather since it won’t be hot, no rain and dry weather, so it’s perfect.
Beyond the sporting aspect, this race is also a matter of health. Conferences are planned on this theme?
From tonight there is a free health-themed lecture on the impact of physical activity on health and well-being, with a number of speakers from the university Rennes 2 and doctors.
All Rennes runs, it is also a very big organization. What arrangements are in place this weekend?
It’s quite huge, I discover it since it’s my first year. There are a lot of devices and about 600 volunteers who are deployed on the ground, on the territory of Rennes, to secure the routes. This is the heart of our concern: securing the routes and organizing the festive part that takes place on the esplanade. Obviously, there are all traffic orders that have been slightly modified with a lot of deviations. We tried to have as little inconvenience as possible for the residents of Rennes. We are aware that this creates an inconvenience for the inhabitants. But if we want to have this event, we have no choice but to take to the streets.