Along
the route of the A75 motorway, can be found one of the most striking
structures of the dawning of the century: the Millau Viaduct. Designed
by Lord Norman Foster, this bridge of international renown will play
host to a run on 13 May 2012: the Eiffage Millau Viaduct Race. A
remarkable moment suspended between sky and earth, the expected 15,000
participants will be able to stride out across the bridge for 5km to
experience the rare delights of ‘running on air’, as they are seemingly
suspended 270m above the ground. Indeed the traffic will even be halted
for the occasion. The
first edition of the Millau Viaduct Race featured 10,500 runners. 5
years on, this second edition intends to gather together some 15,000
participants. Indeed a ticket for the race is much sought-after… It’s as
much the curiosity and the originality of the experience as the
sporting aspect, which encourages both informed and amateur sportsmen
and women to add this race to their list of achievements. “Vivid
images are something that always emerge from the major popular races.
There’s New York with the Verrazzano Bridge, London with Tower Bridge,
Paris with the section along the Champs Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe
as a backdrop. The image of the Millau Viaduct with 15,000 runners
re-appropriating the bridge for the duration of a race really is an
intense experience, admits Gilles Bertrand, Race Organiser.
When you look at the fate of bridge races like that of the ORESUND
BRIDGE in Sweden or the VERRAZANO BRIDGE in New York, which respectively
gather together 80,000 and 35,000 participants, there’s hope for a
bright future for the Millau Viaduct Race.“ An unusual plan of action Nearly
5-million vehicles use the Millau Viaduct each year. However, on 13 May
2012, the traffic will be diverted for four hours (from 0900 to 1300
hours) so as to let the runners complete the 5km return journey across
the viaduct, clean it and then reopen the motorway in complete safety.
It’s the Eiffage Group, constructor and manager of the Millau Viaduct,
which took the initiative of reorganising a race across the structure.
Today this project has been made possible thanks to the consent of the
Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Transport. Focus on the race – download the course profile by clicking here - Aveyron, Larzac, Millau: the city is the starting point for the 23km Eiffage Viaduct Race.
- The course then follows the picturesque Rue de Peyre, which runs along the Tarn valley and heads towards the Viaduct.
- Then
you have to follow the former construction site track, which winds its
way up under the structure – with a height differential of 300m: you
have to earn a run on the Viaduct! - Once
onto the plateau, the runner heads North-South as s/he steps out onto
the bridge spanning some 2.5km (+3.025% incline). A photo souvenir here
is compulsory. On arriving in Larzac, the competitors turn back on
themselves to tackle the Viaduct in the other direction. Another 2.5km
of delight with unrestricted views across the city of Millau and the
limestone Causses plateaus which surround the city of gloves. - Then
begins the descent towards Millau itself, via a beautiful track looking
down onto the city, and on via a winding road snaking its way across
the foothills, to round off on the pathways of the Parc de la Victoire.
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by Larry Eder
