Tour du Lac de Joux

§staticmap(10015,5,450,250)Hello, on June 30th 2012, you’ll be organizing the Tour du Lac de Joux. Can you tell us where it is located? The event will be held in the Vallée de Joux in the Jura Mountains, near the French border. This region is located 1,000 m above sea level. With its 6,500 inhabitants, our valley is mostly renown for its watch factories, some of which are known worldwide. The start of the 24 km race will be at Le Sentier at 2 :50 PM. The start of the 12 km race will occur at the same time, but on the other side of the lake at Le Pont, where the Walking and Nordic walking races will start at 12:45 PM. To get to Le Pont, participants will be able to take a free train. The finish line of all races is located in Le Sentier, at the sport center. How old is the race and why was it created in the first place? I would rather call it a rebirth since the race has already been organized from 1984 to 1988. At that time, about 700 runners participated. When the construction of the footpaths around the lake came to an end, we were convinced that it was the right time to give the race another chance. We were also eager to have many people discover our beautiful region. Credit : Tour du Lac de JouxWhat kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it? Once out the village where the starting line is (for the 24 km race) or at the starting line for the 12 km race, the participants will either run along the lake or overlook it. Most of the route is run on different kind of footpaths : tarred, ballast, grassy or event wooden footbridge in the last few kilometers. The runners should really appreciate this route in the nature (see the photos on our website). How many runners do you expect on Saturday afternoon? What type of runners do you plan to attract? Our dream (maybe a little wild ?!) is to reach 1000 runners, all races combined. We don’t do anything to attract Elite runners. The race is designed for the recreational ones. Credit : Tour du Lac de JouxDo you organize other races during the Weekend? If so, on what distances? When we where searching for a date to hold the race, we thought that it would be a great idea to set it the day before the largest event of the region: the Slow Up of the Vallée de Joux that will happen on July 1st. Our idea was to give our participants the opportunity to discover or rediscover the event. It is a non-competitive event, where more than 30,000 people wander around the lake, riding bicycles, roller-skating, walking or running while all cars are banned from the roads, from 9 AM to 5 PM. Unlike on Saturday, all participants can cross all villages, take part in the many activities set up or have a drink or a snack in the different stalls organized by local companies. A great moment of conviviality to discover. (“www.slowuplavallee.ch”: http://www.slowuplavallee.ch/) At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect? It’s difficult to say, but sunshine has been ordered! At this time of the year the temperature should be around 22 to 25°C ( 71 to 77°F) and the lake should be warm enough for a swim. Have you planned festivities around the marathon? For this first edition, musical bands will be placed along the route. At the end of the afternoon, our refreshment bar will serve grilled meat and a musical band will take charge of the evening just after the awards ceremony, which will start at 6 PM. After taking part in one of the two races on Saturday and discovering or rediscovering the Slow Up on Sunday, we would like to hear many people say “what a wonderful weekend did we have !” Credit : Tour du Lac de JouxThe race finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Le Sentier before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing? In this period, why not spend a few holydays in the region to discover for example the musée de l’horlogerie (clocks & watches museum), Juraparc, the splendid Caves of Vallorbe, climb up the summit of the Dent de Vaulion where a gorgeous 360° panorama awaits you and of course savor a delicious cheese Fondue before getting down! In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the Tour du Lac de Joux? Come and discover our region, you won’t be disappointed! Interview with Lucien Jaquier, President of the Footing Vallée de Joux. After 20 years in track & field at a good national level (running middle distance races), but having tasted all kind of distances from 1,000 m to 100 km, Lucien decided to devote himself more to his club and eventually became its president. All runners of the club share excellent results and cheerfulness whenever they take part in a race. It hasn’t been too difficult to form a committee in order to set up this new race.