For its 18th anniversary, the White Wolf trail takes the lion's share in Creuse

The little cub has become big: in December 2024, the white wolf trail celebrates its 18th anniversary in Creuse. Over the years, this event which brings together several foot races in the Guéret mountains has gained in popularity, to the point of already being almost full more than a month before departure.

There are around 2,000 places but several tests are on the waiting list : this is the case for races of 16 and 24 “kilometers” (so count 18 and 26 kilometers instead…). At the beginning of November, there were only three places left for the 32 km, sixty for the orienteering and around twenty places for the longest distances (54 km and long challenge). Children's races are still taking registrations.

Already 300 people on the waiting list

“We are happy that the trail is working, we have experienced a big boom since Covid”, rejoices Julien Babeix, president of Marchois Athletic Sports, the organizing club. The other side of the coin is that we have increasingly long waiting lists : “It started last year, we ended up with 800 people on the waiting list at the beginning of December. There, at the beginning of November, we are already at 300! We will think about this problem for the next few years.”

This 18th edition takes place with particular emotion: “It’s a huge achievement and successexplains Julien Babeix. A lot of people didn't think it would work, because it was a bit crazy to organize a trail in Creuse, the two who created the trail were pioneers, they didn't have a lot of support at the start.” The White Wolf has become the biggest sporting event in Creuse with 2,000 participants and 200 to 300 volunteers mobilized.

A tourist attraction

The White Wolf attracts beyond the Creuse borders : “Around half of the runners come from outside the former Limousin regionspecifies the president of SAM. From a tourist point of view this is important, almost all hotels and accommodation are full, even quite far from Guéret. There are a lot of people who come to Creuse just for that, and who discover the department thanks to that. I encourage restaurants to stay open Friday and Saturday evening because last year, runners had difficulty finding somewhere to eat.”

The White Wolf trail reiterates its “festival” formula this year : before the races on the weekend of December 7 and 8, a film will be shown at the Le Sénéchal cinema in Guéret on Thursday 5. On Wednesday, young people from Creuse will be encouraged to discover trail running, in partnership with the UNSS.