a crazy passion for running in the night, winter, snow and cold

La SaintéLyon: a raid race that has become over the years one of the most famous French running events. A story of 70 years of history in the footsteps of runners.

She is a septuagenarian who is doing like a charm. Tomorrow, November 30, 2024, the 70th edition of SaintéLyon will take place. An extreme raid contested at night, in the middle of winter, over a distance of around sixty kilometers and whose history is intertwined with that of modern running.

First strides in 1952. Amateur cycle tourists from Saint-Etienne and Lyon are creating a winter hike organized over two days, between Saint-Etienne and Lyon, via the GR7. Sometimes from Saint-Etienne to Lyon, sometimes in the other direction.

At the time, only a few of them attempted the adventure, in mountain shoes and backpacks. The objective is first of all to allow amateur cycle tourists to stay in shape during the winter season.

Nobody imagined then that it was possible to connect the two major regional cities by walking or running without interruption. In a few years, the times achieved went from 9 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., a symbolic figure, since it represents the time taken by the stagecoach to connect Lyon to Saint-Etienne in the last century.

From the 70s, the emergence of jogging and the appearance of Shock-absorbing shoes sound the death knell for walking. From now on, SaintéLyon, which is not yet called that, will essentially be done at a running pace.

1978 : Michel Delore, sportsman, journalist and writer, who won the event 8 times between 1970 and 1980 set the record for the running distance at 5:20.

In the early 80sSaintéLyon reached a participation record with more than 4,000 competitors. Only 40% of participants cross the finish line.

The 1991 edition will make an impression. The event (which officially takes the name SaintéLyon) is now systematically contested in the direction Saint-Etienne-Lyon, with a start at midnight and a maximum delay of 3 p.m. In 1994, Franck Proietto set a new record in 4h19.

2002 : 3,500 participants set off from SaintéLyon. Associated with the Telethon, the event benefits from a new dynamic and very good media coverage.

The year 2007 will record a new participation record with more than 8,200 night runners. Franck Proietto, thirteen years after his first victory in 1994, won a race made difficult by the mud which covered the paths of the Monts du Lyonnais.

2009 : phenomenal success for SaintéLyon with 10,000 participants and registrations closed weeks before the event.

La SaintéLyon 2010 will be remembered as an anthology edition with unprecedented winter conditions. More than 40 cm of snow covers the course, and polar temperatures set in for the week. The scenery, even more magical thanks to a clear night and immaculate snow, delights the senses but the deep snow in places and tricky at the end of the course makes the progress of the runners more difficult.

In 2013, for its 60th edition, the SaintéLyon innovates with the first edition of the SaintéSprint, in a fast 22 km format. An event edition which sees the creation of an anniversary book retracing 60 stories about the oldest French nature race. A new participation record was reached with more than 13,000 participants.

2020, the year of Covid. As the health situation continues to worsen and restrictions tighten, the organization takes the decision to cancel the event. Months of work and preparation collapsing…

2022 : SaintéLyon is going international! More than 17,000 registrations have been recorded.

2023 sees the return of snow and ice for a 69th edition faithful to the myth. What surprises does the 70th SaintéLyon have in store?