Le Grand Raid

Karine Baillet / 27.05.2010

A new combination of elite adventure racing, sports festival and community racing will take place next month at the first Grand Raid Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Created by Karin Baillet, one of the most successful adventure racers of the past decade, this innovative concept will go through the most beautiful natural sites in the region over 5 days and pass through 7 stage towns between June 23rd and 27th.

The race is described as a rendez-voous for outdoor sports, with a hint of the Tour de France, and offers a choice of competitions for all levels of ability. The event also emphasises sports for the whole family with its travelling village which is free to visit.

All of the region of Nord-Pas de Calais is mobilized to organize this new event, a first for an outdoor sports event: 7 towns, 5 communities, the natural parks, tourism offices, councils, regional media and universities have joined forces to offer an event unique in France.

The Elite Multisport Adventure race is for the traditional mixed teams of 4 and is open to international teams who can cover a 400km course. In total the race route will go through some of the most beautiful natural sites in the region: forests, swamps, trails and roads, be it on sand, cobblestone, pavement or water. The race route covers 4 stages of 100km a day and includes orienteering, canoë-kayak, trail, MTB, rollerblading, bike & run, and rope work with an impressive prize money pot of 70,000 Euros split between the top 25 teams.

So far these include Team Merrell from the USA, OS Direct from Ukraine and the French/NZ team of Wilsa. Anyone looking for a team can contact the race organisation or try their Facebook Group, â€˜Le Grand Raidâ€™. Officially registration is open until May 30th at a cost of 1200 Euros.

Alongside this race there are also 8 individual and team events taking place in each of the 7 stage villages of the Grand Raid. These are designed for the general public and open to all levels of ability and include the following. A mini-adventure race (20 km), Bike and Run (10 km), Canoë-Kayak (7 km), Trail Run (12 km), orienteering (3 to 6 km), MTB (20 km), Rollerblading (4 or 10 km) and a 5km hike. Nearly 2,500 participants are expected and entry is open on the website until June 18th.

The event website has all the information needed and is at <a href ="http://www.legrandraid.org" target="_blank">www.legrandraid.org
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