Trail. 14th edition of the Barjo, this weekend in the Hague: how was this event born?

Alain Leclerc, co-organizer de la Barjo with Franck Renoux in La Hague (Manche), retraces the history of this ordeal, which became the trail reference in Normandy.

The day when… He had the idea to start the race

” I worked in security on the Orano site with Franck Renoux and Franck Letetrel and we participated together in the Marathon des Sables. THE communications manager from Orano, who had sponsored us, then addressed us on our return? : “It’s all well and good to go running far away, but couldn’t you organize something in the area to promote the Hague? » We took up the challenge. And we are happy to have participated in the influence of our territory through this Barjo. »

The day when… He found the name

“We often trained on the Customs Path and I thought it would be nice to leave Barneville to go to Jobourg, and keep the first letters of the two communes: BAR and JO. This is how the name Barjo was born. At the beginning, some criticized, saying that it was derogatory, demeaning the ordeal of having such a name. Today, perhaps they think differently…”

The day when… He traced the routes

“For this first, we went with a 63 km format for the longest race. At the time, it seemed out of the ordinary. In the area, there was the Tue-Vaques, but there were no other trails and especially not such long formats. To be sure it would work, I tested the route myself by running. I did 63 km, stopping in Diélette halfway to eat mussels and fries. I managed to finish, I told myself it was playable! »

The day when… La Barjo grew up

“The first year, we organized it like crazy, by pinning the bibs at the finish on a nail to establish the rankings. We had 500 participants and we were already dreaming. Basically, I committed to doing just one edition, just to meet Orano’s request. But, with the success, we decided to continue. I didn’t foresee that I would still be there 14 years later… Very quickly, from the 5th edition, the event grew and we have now reached our cruising speed with 2,500 participants. This is a gauge agreed with the Littoral Conservatory and that suits us very well. We could perhaps add a new race to please more people because it’s frustrating to leave so many runners on the sidelines. But we don’t want to be excessive. We want to keep the same spirit, the same conviviality, the same comfort for the runners. »

The day when… He almost stopped

” In 2022we wiped at one storm which caused major material damage and I hurt my arm badly in the process. I said to myself: “What’s the point? ruin your health? » At the time, I really wanted to stop everything… but I left again! Because I like it and because we can rely on golden volunteers. »

The day when… He will stop

“That day, my wife will thank me! It’s a crazy thing to organize: between the procedures with the communitiesTHE sponsors route reconnaissance, procurement equipment, phone calls… It’s extremely time-consuming and stressful. I am also busy organizing other events like the cyclo-cross in Flamanville and, sometimes, I tell myself that I would like to have more time for myself. By giving a lot of time to others, we sometimes forget ourselves. When you are tired, what weather reportis rotten, you want to stop. But when we see the pleasure of the runners at the finish, when we see the kindness and humility of the best in the area like Valentin Orange, Yannick Noël, Thibaut Lécuru and many others, you tell yourself that you are not doing that for nothing. Now, I don’t know how much longer we will have the strength to organize. Simply, the day I stop, I hope that we will have found people as crazy as us to take up the torch…”

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