Description

A French Race in Chairman Mao’s heartland

In the eyes of the West, China has an almost mythical quality. It is a land whose history, all emperors and revolutionaries, is interwoven with legends and epic tales. And it is hardly known, but this makes it an ideal location for a race that is both a dream and the ultimate physical test, the Foulées de la Soie.

A course inspired by Chinese Silk Merchants from the 3rd Century BC.
In August veterans and first-timers will rendez-vous in Beijing to begin a two-week, 200 kilometre adventure.

Participants will have plenty of time to get to know China – its simple and authentic towns, agricultural lands, mountains -- in all its extraordinariness.
Local traditions play as important a part in Foulées de la Soie as running, but the pleasure of the running itself will be taken to a new height by the exotic nature of the setting.

China at a run

From 2th-13th august 2009 the greatest running race in the world will travel all over China. With its unique philosophy linking sport and cultural discovery Foulées de la Soie has no rival in the whole spectrum of adventure racing.

The concept
Each morning there is a stage of the running race. These vary in length between 10 and 21 kilometres and are set in vastly differing regions – in mountains, canyons and valleys, in forests, high plains.
But that is not all : there is also the chance to make friends with the local inhabitants, members of the Chinese minorities, who will join the various stages. They are gracious to a fault and will show you the splendour of their country by welcoming you into their villages and revealing to you their way of life.

Afternoons are dedicated to visiting the most beautiful tourist sites in China, architectural treasures and artistic masterpieces, many of which are still barely known.
A daily transfer– by plane, bus or train – will mean that you travel the length and breadth of this fascinating country over the two weeks of the trip.

China in all its brilliance

A Race of Many Pleasures
For the eighth consecutive year Sport Developpement et Performance presents ‘Foulées de la Soie’, a running race in China, in stages of 10 to 21 kilometres.

Who hasn’t dreamt of China? The Middle Kingdom, a country of a billion people, the only
country in the world that can boast an uninterrupted civilisation for 5000 years… China is also the ends of the earth, more exotic than anything you have ever experienced before. There are few places in the world as charged with expectations as China.

A country of Extremes

• 3rd biggest country in the world, as large as the whole of Europe (9,560,000 km2), nearly 40 times as large as the UK
• almost 15,000 kilometres of land border
• the most populous country on the planet (1.3 billion inhabitants)
• only 25% of the population lives in cities
• 56 minorities representing 7% of the Chinese population

China is a country of extremely varied and untouched terrain. It is home to the highest mountains and the deepest valleys in the world, to deserts and high fertile plains, to coniferous, tropical and taiga forest and of course to some of the longest rivers in the world.
China remains today what she has been for many centuries, a country that fascinates and surprises.

There is so much to see : treasures of art and architecture on the one hand and the traditional celebrations of the 56 Chinese minorities on the other. The moment that the participants of Foulées de la Soie 2003 set foot in Beijing Airport the adventure will begin!