“We are setting up a small army with generals and a whole hierarchy behind”: behind the scenes of the Nîmes urban trail 2024

The Yes we run team is waiting for you this weekend with the “Croco NUT 2024” to be won. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

The time for final preparations has arrived. The bibs are packed and the runners ready to go. Or almost… Start of the walking race this Sunday, February 18, 2024!

The Nîmes urban trail (Nut) is back this Sunday, February 18 and is celebrating its 9th edition this year. It's time to put on your running shoes, slather on sunscreen (yes, even in February) and take some a real eye-catcher!

Because no, the Nut is not just a sporting challenge. In any case, that's what Benoît and Cécile, both "co-pilots" will tell you. of Yes we run, the Nîmes events agency to which we owe the organization since 2016 of the famous walking race. < /p>

The fruit of a year of work

Course, security, supplies… Organizing the Nut is not an easy thing. "The day after the 2023 edition we were already starting to prepare for this one, remembers Benoît Goiset. We spend our time managing the unexpected and things that we hadn't anticipated. That's what the event is all about, he continues, smiling.

Preparing for an event, many are able to do it. But once a certain milestone has been reached, the story is completely different. Last year there were 6,500 runners at the start. There will be 9,000 this Sunday morning. "The bigger an event gets, the more we are led to encounter new problems. If we don't anticipate that, we put ourselves in danger", explains the man who is originally from Nantes. "We learn with experience, we correct the situation and that's also why the Nut is so popular", outbids Céline Cheron.

"What matters most is that the participants are delighted"

There are 6 permanent staff all year round, but in the space of a weekend, the family expands up to 500 people. "We set up a small army with generals and a whole hierarchy behind it in order to be ready for D-Day." But for that, you need to have a good team. "We have a hard core with which we develop habits over the years. We complement each other and help each other. It's fundamental in this activity", recognizes Benoît Goiset.

If the important thing is to anticipate all possible scenarios, "what matters most is that the participants are delighted", says Céline, with a smile on her lips. This year, five courses will be offered to the 9,000 registered runners (9 km, 15 km, 22 km, 33 km and a circuit 9 km hike). All will have as their starting point avenue Feuchères. "The idea was to be able to renew the routes in order to offer an experience different from one year to the next." And if organizing the Nîmes trail seems difficult,  be careful: "La Veni Vicci is worse!", confide the two partners.

The trail will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year!

In 2025, the Nîmes urban trail will celebrate its tenth anniversary. With already 9,000 participants this year, can we dream of exceeding the threshold of 10,000 next year ? "In the coming weeks we will build the outlines of the next edition ( the date, the event format, etc.). We already have small ideas but it's still a little early to talk about them. The important thing, for the moment, is to succeed brilliantly in this 2024 edition.  The long-term objective ? "Let the Nut become the benchmark urban trail in France!"