Worn, degraded and dangerous in places, this athletics track in Seine-et-Marne needs to be redone

See my news
Follow the Marne

Well aware of the state of deterioration in which the Lagny athletics track (Seine-et-Marne) finds itself, David Petit, the new president of Marne et Gondoire Athlétisme (MeGA), alerted the town hall. If it has been heard, the stadium is not about to be renovated.

When we meet David Petit, his observation is clear. “The track is broken. In some places, parts are torn off, you can see the tar. »

A corridor closed because it was too dangerous

When he took over as president of the association, he immediately contacted the town hall. “It’s dangerous. The security conditions are not met. Can you imagine, when you are running at 24, 25 km/h, if suddenly you trip in a hole? At best, your ankle is crushed. » Within the club, he notes: “It generates a increase in injuries. Obviously, there is no more covering, no more cushioning…”

According to him, the situation is problematic. Especially for corridor no. 1, the most degraded. At the time, he was heard by the town hall. A arrested is taken and corridor no. 1 is closed. But the system to enforce the order is insufficient. “They put up barriers and tape. But with the wind, the barriers fall and it is just as dangerous. »

Consequences for the club

But even beyond this corridor, the entire track needs to be reviewed. “It was created in 1996. It should have been redone 10 years ago. Before Covid, things seemed to be well underway and ultimately… nothing was done,” laments the president.

In the meantime, the first to suffer from this equipment in poor condition are the members of the club.

It's a historic club that was created in the 70s, and it was an elite club. Today, we have lost trainers, who take their foals. Those who want to perform leave.

In five years, David has quantified the decrease in the number of members at 31%. And whatever the club does, the condition of the track remains a major obstacle. “We had opened a baby section, but we had to stop. The host didn’t want to stay because of that,” he assures. Not to mention the drop in club level, from national to regional. Despite everything, the club remains important, with 290 practitioners : “Cement remains a good atmosphere”.

What about schools?

And even if the club is authorized to use the Thorigny track for its competitions, the president wants to have the Lagny equipment renovated. “This is where we have our premises. The site itself is known and recognized, and then there are all the schools,” he explains. Because the members are not the only ones to suffer from the state of the track.

This is also the case for all middle and high school students. All currently use the track for athletics sessions. Which makes both the work urgent, according to the club president, but also more delicate. “It’s more complicated to close to do the work. Where will they go during this time…” imagines David.

“We are aware of the problem”assures Bouchra Fenzar, first deputy in charge of sports policy.

Corridor #1 was dangerous and we closed it. The rest is not suitable for competition, but the track remains suitable for school practice.

The elected official specifies that for corridor no. 1, red or black ground markings will better alert the public to the danger.

A project worth more than 1.5 million euros

She ensures that the track “will be the next big investment” of the municipality… after the renovation of the roof of the Guy Kappès gymnasium. According to his estimates and the inventory carried out with the president of the LIFA (Ligue de l'Île-de-France d'Athlétisme), the work would be long and quite expensive. “We are talking about 1.5 million euros just for the track,” specifies Bouchra Fenzar.

But why was the budget allocated before Covid not renewed after the pandemic? Why were other facilities, such as the tennis or rowing project, given priority? “Rowing, there were the Olympics and the site had to be a rear base,” she explains. But above all, in both cases, “the presidents had sought significant subsidies”.

A working group planned

At the beginning of December, the president of the association was again received at the town hall and an action plan was established. At the start of 2025, a working group must start working on the work to be carried out. “We must not carry out this work haphazardly. The track must be up to standard, we must think, for example, of fencing it so that two wheels can no longer access it,” he emphasizes. See you next year to find out more.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.