RUNNERS AREAS

THE WORD OF THE ORGANIZER

 

Jean Claude Le Cornec
Organizer of the Silk Road

On the Foulées de la Soie, the distances in stages are quite short with a maximum length of 21km. However, it is not the length of a stage that makes a race beautiful but what surrounds this stage as the landscapes and the atmosphere… We also need to take into account the time spent and the “freshness” of the participants in the race to allow us to organize visits. Which would not be possible with 30 or 40km daily stages.
Also know that you will be running in weather conditions that you do not encounter in Europe. Running with a high humidity, combined with the heat, justifies the choice of distances. Especially since the steps are repetitive…
«Discovering the world by running» in beautiful places is the only goal that SDPO has set itself since 1996, but to be able to enjoy the selected country, You have to be in shape all day…. We run, we visit,.. we relax…

QUESTIONS YOU ASK BEFORE LEAVING

1/ Why run with SDPO ?
A race for runners organized by runners, as Jean Claude Le Cornec, founder of the Foulées de la Soie in 1996, the first raid organized in China by SDPO. Since then, our organization has offered you the opportunity to run and travel around the world in countries or regions with a history. You will walk through the most diverse landscapes, off the beaten path and be welcomed (and rewarded) among the local population in a daily festive atmosphere. Our races have become classics and are now permanent (the Silk Footprints, the Ultra Trail of Angkor). Other adventures have taken place in the past and could seduce you again under the same application «The Silk Footprints» but in different countries already crossed as China, Yunnan (China), Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Cappadocia (Turkey), Montenegro, Cuba, India, Laos, Myanmar).

2/ What is the required level ?
Our sports stays are open to all. The high-level athlete, experienced in local, national and international competitions, will be alongside the Sunday morning joggers, and all will want to discover and combine both the pleasure of physical effort and that of cultural curiosity.
No age or performance requirements are required to share these moments of escape (40% of our registered each year are women). Juniors or veterans (from 17 to 77 years), experienced or not, will leave flooded with dreams and emotions.

3/ Do you need a particular physical preparation, a special training?
For some, a test of endurance like no other…….
The competitors line up 6 to 7 stages from 15 to 21 km requiring endurance and recovery qualities. They will therefore submit to the requirement of a pugnacious training conducted over several months, without also omitting some dietary rules that allow them to support this preparation combining Effort, Combativity, Endurance and Preparatory Work.
Training is very focused on the quantity of work (kilometers to be totaled), but the quality of work should not be neglected. To help you prepare, please consult our tips section, see www.sdpo-mag.com
For others, the pleasure of a «different» sporting trip in the most unusual countries to avoid both the rigidity of classic package tours and the discomfort of a solo trip to distant and unknown lands.
Sunday morning joggers with more modest sporting and competitive ambitions, older riders who have long abandoned the chronos can participate in the Foulées de la Soie but will ensure to have a minimum of preparation to keep up and enjoy Fully of this sporting getaway not like the others.
What if you have problems?
You can continue the day’s stage with the shorter-walking participants and then run again the next day.

4/ How is a runner’s day ?
The morning is devoted to sports activities and the presentation of prizes: a runner runs a distance of 15 to 21 km encourage and motivate each other in the midst of local populations and the most diverse landscapes. A very important and comfortable precision: the organization takes care of the backpacks and only the water (distributed at the start and that distributed to the refuelling) is carried by the runnerThe Midi is reserved for cultural visits, transfers by bus or plane and… at rest.

5/ Do I need special equipment ?
One month before each race, SDPO sends you a very complete document that traces both your cultural and sporting journey. A bottle holder or camelback and a medical kit are recommended as well as a cap, mandatory depending on the weather.
Runners/walkers: its content is the same.