Ludovic Couderc and Régis Chautard (winner of the Challenge Gardois des trails in 2009), like events that have strong characteristics. The trail they organize themselves is one of them.
As runners they take part in around ten races per year, but pay real attention to build up slowly. They don’t want to go too far too fast. Their main selection criteria is of course the type of route, but they also take into account the atmosphere and how organizers welcome the participants. Their next target is the
Ultradraille next May which seems to fulfill all their expectations.
§staticmap(9193,5,450,250)Hello, on April 17th 2011, you’ll be organizing the Trail du Camp de César. Can you tell us where it is located?
The 5th edition of “Trail Camp Caesar” is organized for the first time in the town Laudun L’ardoise.
This change will allow us to offer a better welcome to competitors and ease the organization thanks to the Leo Lagrange gymnasium where the starting line will be located.
How old is the race and why was it created in the first place?
This trail has been established 5 years ago by Mr. Régis Chautard. His goal was to show the fabulous site of Caesar’s Camp (Camp de César in French).
What kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it?
Both routes are demanding. There is less than 1 km ran on asphalt and with 70% ran in rocky single trails, the runners will constantly have to adjust their pace which can be quite tiring in the end.
The race is a never ending succession of uphills and downhills. At different moments, the trail becomes so steep that we had to set up ropes. But this doesn’t alter the overall beauty of the route.
Most runners didn’t expect such a level of difficulty in a region that is most of the time considered flat !!! (the race earns 1 point for the UTMB).
The various sceneries on the Rhone Valley, Mount Ventoux and the vineyards are simply gorgeous.
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How many runners do you expect on Sunday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
The number of runners has steadily grown each year and this year we cap the number of participants to 500.
Past winners like Dawa Sherpa, Vincent Delebarre or Martine Volay really appreciated the event. What we really seek is the passionate runner.
Do you organize other races during the Week-End? If so, on what distances?
Two trails are organized during the day
- le parcours du Loup : 44 km 2 200 D+
- le parcours du louveteau : 17 km 600 D+
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
Generally, temperatures are mild in Languedoc Roussillon in April, so no special equipment is recommended.
Have you planned festivities around the trail?
On the eve of the trail, we organize a free pasta party for the runners who are far from home. It is our way to thank them for coming.
This is a nice moment as we love them.
The race day is classic with the awards ceremony and a common meal for runners who feel like it after a massage made by one of our four physios!
I also want to emphasize that this year, we’ve been seriously working on the eco-friendliness of the event (mark-up, recycled cutlery, waste recycling, car pooling…).
The race finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Laudun L’ardoise before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing?
Laundun L’Ardoise already offers some beautiful historic buildings but the location of the town enables you to visit the cities of Avignon or Nîmes which are only a 40 minute drive away.
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the Trail du Camp de César?
We put FRIENDLYNESS first !!!!
Before heading for the summer trails, the trail Camp de César is a lovely event to add to your training agenda.
“A serious race” as V. Delebarre said.