This week, Kazem Ghasssani is presenting us “Run in Lyon”, a running event organized in Lyon, France.
Hello, on October 3rd 2010, you’ll be organizing “Run in Lyon”. Can you tell us where it is located?
On Sunday, October 3rd, Run in Lyon, a major sporting event will be held in Lyon. Place Bellecour will host the departures and arrivals of different races, starting at 9 A.M..
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The event will be organized by the association Génération Oxygène, in partnership with the City of Lyon.
How old is the race and why was it created in the first place?
In 2003, supported by the City of Lyon, Michel PAKLOGLOU, the president of the association managed to relaunch “Record du Tour du Parc de la Tête d’Or” (short distance running event held in the Tête d’Or Park), “Semi-marathon du Patrimoine de Lyon” (a half marathon) and organize the “10 km des Eaux Bleues”.
Oxygène Évènements is not just about running. The association organizes other sporting performance dealing with extreme sports such as skydiving, high altitude and polar trekking, aerobatics, survival in a hostile environment.
What kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it?
This sporting event, concentrated on the historical centre of Lyon, will give runners the opportunity to discover the splendours of our historical and cultural heritage. In deed, on the same day, 4 races will be organized: a 10 km race, the Alptis Half Marathon, the marathon and the Société Générale Corporate Challenge.
Our concept was simple but strong: All races will start and finish on the place Bellecour.
Place Bellecour, a symbolic and strategic place, will also host during all the event a village with many different cultural and sporting activities.
And as Sport for the disabled is very important for us at Génération Oxygène, Run in Lyon had to host a 10 km wheelchair race that will also start Place Bellecour.
How many runners do you expect on Sunday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
We expect about 10,000 runners, recreational as well as elite runners.
Do you organize other races during the Week-End? If so, on what distances?
There is no other race besides 10, 21 and 42 km already mentioned.
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
At that time of the year, sunshine should of course join the party.
Have you planned festivities around the marathon?
Beside the marathon, many activities will take place: singing, dancing and many other attractive activities should help make this event a great festival, gathering everybody around the values of health, tourism and sports.
The marathon finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Lyon before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing?
Run in Lyon is a new event which will gather recreational and elite runners, enabling them to visit or revisit the symbolic sites of the heritage of Lyon. Don’t miss this important event.
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the Run in Lyon?
Oxygène Évènements, founded in 1983 is a non-profit organisation, self-funded and whose profit are donated to charities. It organizes and coordinates sporting events at the regional, national and international level.