Le Grand Raid Nord Pas de Calais
The « Longe Côte », a new and spectacular discipline of the Grand Raid Nord Pas de Calais
Press Release / 28.06.2011
The Longe Côte, a method of progressing on foot in the sea with the water-compulsory- at least waist high and with the help of a double-bladed paddle was the novelty and main attraction of this second Grand Raid. The competitors were surprised by the energy required for this new discipline, the concentration necessary to negociate the waves and the technique needed to make the best use of the paddle.
The top teams in the world were present on this Grand Raid, organized by the multisports adventure racing champion Karine Baillet : among them, the Spanish team who are the current World Champions, Swedes, New Zealanders, a Finnish team, Ukrainians but also many French teams who shine internationally.
Right from the start and up to the very end, the Franco-Swedes of the Thule Adventure Team established their domination but the competition was fierce and the race pace frenetic. The concept of the event also pushes competitors to continually race all-out because this is not a non-stop race but rather 7 stages spread over five days, which means five sprints.
In addition to the international competition, the Grand Raid was opened up to a larger audience on specific days which allowed for the involvement of amateur sports enthusiasts. Thus, in Calais, teams of young people, some of them coming from far afield, participated in a round of the national college challenge. Younger children were able to obtain the little adventure racer certificate. Sunday in the city of Lille, a « Family Adventure Race » was deemed to have been an outstanding success due to the beautiful atmosphere of Moms and Dads transmitting their passion for adventure racing to their children.
The highlight of the parallel competitions was the « Challenger » race. 47 teams of amateur adventure racers were allowed to race alongside the Elites on Saturday, around Saint Amand les Eaux in the vast and beautiful regional park of Scarpe-Escaut. These challengers, often well-prepared and very determined, made life difficult for the champions during the first part of the day but the Elite teams quickly demonstrated that their reputation of high level athletes is well deserved.
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