Vincent Gambier, chairman of the 100km à pied de Steenwerck, has been a member of the association for 25 years and has ran the race about a dozen times.
§staticmap(1454,5,450,250)Hello, on June 1st 2011, you’ll be organizing the 100km à pied de Steenwerck. Can you tell us where it is located?
The race is held in the town of Steenwerck, located in the North of France, 25 km North-West from Lille.
How old is the race and why was it created in the first place?
The 100km à pied de Steenwerck have been organized for 35 years. The race was created back then after a visit to the 100km de Millau
What kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it?
The route is flat except for two bridges crossing the High speed Train (TGV) line. After the start, the runners will run through Steenwerck to reach the 19.3 km loop they will run 5 times.
How many runners do you expect on Wednesday night? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
Over the past years, we had between 500 to 1200 participants. This includes novices as well as experience runners. The atmosphere is friendly and the organization very serious.
In fact there are two distinct 100 km races. The former starting on Wednesday night at 7 PM is open to all runners. The latter, starts Thursday morning at 6 AM and is reserved to more experienced runners.
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
The night is often quite cool (It’s the case around Ice Saints) but the weather varies from one year to another.
Have you planned festivities around the race?
On Thursday, starting at 3 PM, several kid races are organized. This allows families to end the day together.
The race finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Steenwerck before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing?
On Sunday, I highly recommend to visit the museum (Musée de la vie rurale de Steenwerck) dedicated to the local rural life between 1850 and 1950.
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the 100km à pied de Steenwerck?
Come and discover the friendly atmosphere of the 100km de Steenwerck, with 400 volunteers all along the route who will take care of you and share with you a wonderful time.