Les boucles de Cezelly
Between pond, château, and end-of-day light, Les Boucles de Cézelly have that little taste of the south that makes you want to pin on a race bib even when your legs are saying "rest". Here, you run in Leucate with the Mediterranean in your sights and the Albères as a backdrop. The kind of scenery that makes you forget there's a bit of climbing involved.
What you'll find on site:
- A 10 km nature trail and a 10 km nordic walk that are accessible but far from boring;
- A course winding through lakeside banks, historic ruins, and a characterful Occitan village;
- 200 m of elevation gain to add just the right amount of relief to the story;
- An event included in the Challenge de l'Aude, for those who love collecting race bibs as much as memories.
Course focus:
The start takes you along the banks of the étang de Leucate. A spot that's still under the radar, yet capable of offering some pretty stunning panoramas when the sun begins to slowly drop behind the ridgelines. On one side, the Albères plunging toward the Mediterranean; on the other, the Canigou reflecting in the water. Clearly not the worst place to get the heart rate up.
And then there's that passage past the ruins of the château fort de Leucate. A climb, a bit of history, a lot of charm. Here, the stones still tell the story of the defense led by Dame Françoise de Cézelly against Spanish ambitions. You don't need to be a medieval history expert to feel that the place has character.
After that, it's back toward the village with its typically Occitan accents, its Roman roof tiles, its sunlit alleyways, and that end-of-race atmosphere where the cheers ring out a little louder as you approach the finish arch.
3 (very) good reasons to take part:
- Running a 10 km nature race where the scenery takes up almost as much space as the effort;
- Discovering Leucate in a different way than with a beach towel and flip-flops;
- Combining a swim, an apéro, and recovery all in the same day. The perfect balance, right?
Results: