LAUSANNE 20K*
By Michael Bissett
*And a bonus parkrun
While many of you were racing in the club championships at Newhaven I had returned to Switzerland to race for the first time in over 5 years. Here is the story of the weekend.
As you can see from the title a parkrun was thrown in. Switzerland, as of yet, does not have any parkrun’s and all the French parkruns are still suspended so my only option was Germany. It just so happens that over the border from Basel there is Dreilandergarten parkrun. A tip for you if, like me, you take the tram to Basel to Weil am Rhein where the parkrun takes place, is to take your passport with you. The tram was stopped at the Swiss/German border and everyone had to show identification. I wasn’t expecting that!
A short walk from the tram stop is the parkrun. It is quite a small one – only 30-40 on average with a lot of expats taking part. It is a mixture of trail and road, but road shoes turned out to be fine. The course reminded me a lot of Lochend Woods parkrun with a rather nice but winding course through the forest.
On return to Switzerland, it was time to make my way from Basel in Northern Switzerland to Lausanne in the south.
My next race of the weekend was a 5km race on the Saturday night in Lausanne. It was a flat and fast course run in the scorching heat. It was run along the main boulevard in Ouchy, the seaside suburb that is part of Lausanne. It then turned and ran directly along the shores of Lake Geneva before returning the sports stadium. I had a respectable run considering the heat and the parkrun in the morning. The race was meant to be in waves, but I’m not convinced.
The main event was on Sunday morning – the 20km de Lausanne. Is it any different from running a half? After all it is just 1km and a bit less. It feels completely different, literally two 10kms! This race, unlike most Swiss road races is not flat. It starts in the port of Ouchy before gradually winding up to the Cathedral at the very top of the city. The first 4km are fairly flat before a tough little climb. It then settles for a few km with some undulations until you reach 8km – then you climb and climb and climb for 4km or so. At this point you are reaching the old part of the city where the streets are narrowing with some brutal little climbs thrown in for fun! The sun also decided to come out.
It is a welcome sight to see the Cathedral – it means you have reached the top of the route. A sharp downhill for 4km (which sounds nice in theory, but your legs don’t quite agree) where you head directly down towards Ouchy and the river side again. Once there are few winding sections which take you back to the finish in the sports stadium.
The race is well supported by the city with large crowds throughout the route especially in the city centre. There are, of course, the bemused coffee drinkers sitting outside the rather chic coffee houses in Lausanne looking at us all no doubt thinking we are completely mad but they give you a cheer as you pass!!
Racing in another country is a very different experience – for one you will know very few people who are in the race and it encourages you to run your own race. It is a great way to see somewhere new. I have ran several races in Lausanne and look forward to returning again sometime soon.
For anyone who is interested the website for the 20km de Lausanne is below.