Paris-Saclay Running Tour

Put on your best shoes, train your legs, join the peloton and let yourself be carried by the momentum of the Grand Paris Express ! 🚝

The race takes place in the Île-de-France region, more precisely in the Essonne department 🏃. In November, a running event with growing momentum unfolds: the Paris-Saclay Running Tour. For its very first edition last year, 800 runners graced the pavement 🚀. A true success made in Paris-Saclay which continues to grow for its second edition, in partnership with the Société des grands projets, adding two major novelties to its program: a marathon of 42,2 km for those who love distance and a special event for children of 1,5 km 🧒.

The standout feature of this gathering is its inclusive spirit 🙌. Whether you come to win or for fun, all events are inclusive and open to people with motor, mental, sensory, or psychological disabilities, with courses fully runnable in a joëlette ♿. Last year, the event’s symbol paired a hare and a turtle 🐢, but this time, it’s the unlikely union of a gazelle and a snail that embodies the place’s philosophy. The idea is simple: everyone moves at their own pace, together, on the same starting line 🐌.

All distances start and end at a precise central point: the gare Université Paris-Saclay, located on the Avenue des Sciences in Gif-sur-Yvette, next to the ENS École normale supérieure (ENS) Paris-Saclay 🏫. Sunday routes traverse no fewer than eight municipalities of the agglomeration 😎 : Gif-sur-Yvette, Igny, Orsay, Saclay, Saint-Aubin, Vauhallan, Villiers-le-Bâcle and Palaiseau 🌍. It’s a delightful blend of urban zones and natural countryside waiting for you.

You’ll especially pass by the Favreuse and Saint-Aubin canals, you’ll breathe in the fresh air in the Palaiseau Forest, before linking Massy Road to Saclay through the fields 🌲. This verdant setting blends with a decidedly futurist landscape. Indeed, you’ll run at the heart of one of the most world-renowned hubs of scientific research and innovation on the globe 🌍. The route will take you past internationally acclaimed institutions like CentraleSupélec, ENS Paris-Saclay, the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA), the École Polytechnique or the Lumen 🔬. The event is also carried by the spirit of the Grand Paris Express 🤓. The route closely follows part of the aerial path of the Line 18 of the metro, which is already reshaping the local landscape 🏙️.

Once you cross the finish line and collect your medal 🥇, the adventure doesn’t stop there. What to do after the race? The handisport village set up on the event site awaits to extend the experience. It’s the perfect moment to chat, raise awareness about different adapted sports practices and share a convivial moment with the other participants ⛺. If you want to explore the immediate surroundings, take time to stroll the campus to admire the architectural modern architecture of the grandes écoles