Paris - NeuroSpin: a retrospective study

The Paris-NeuroSpin is an unofficial annual running event that has been organized nine times consecutively between 2012 and 2020. The itinerary starts from Paris Porte de Vanves and ends in Saclay at the doors of NeuroSpin the high-field brain research center of the French Atomic Commission (CEA). The total distance is just above 22 kilometers. Along the different years the event has counted from 4 to 13 participants, mostly runners but also bikes. The concept of the event drives the participants to progress as a unique group generally, hence arriving together after 2-2.5 hours of efforts.

Itinerary:

The following itinerary is the one that has been chosen for the three last years. The first kilometers follow the Coulée Verte - not to be mistaken with the former Promenade Plantée - across Malakoff, Châtillon and Fontenay-aux-Roses. This is basically a biking path designated by regular informative markers along the way, which gently moves away from Paris with a few road crossings. The path then turns into a exclusively pedestrian walkway. Our route leaves from the Coulée Verte in Sceaux doing a U-turn and then going West across the Arboretum de la Vallée aux Loups in Châtenay-Malabry. A fresh and lovely place but a rather steep section. After this first obstacle, another road section takes a south-westerly direction to meet the Quick restaurant - at around 10 kilometers from the beginning. The road then heads into a local forest area, the Forêt de Verrières. There this flat section crosses the A86 highway and should lead - if only directions are carefully respected - to a slightly technical descent right down to the heart of Igny. This is where the route crosses the RER C railway. If you lack of luck at this point, the signal starts blinking before you pass the railroad and you must wait a few minutes for the train to pass by. After going all the way down from the plateau of Verrières, the crossing of Igny is the beginning of a gentle gradient that will end at the top of the plateau de Saclay. Passing under the D444 road, there comes another crux of the run: the Chemin de la Voie Creuse, a dirt path which leads right to the top of the plateau showing a gradient between 10-15% along 300-400 meters. Once at the top, the Rigole de Favreuse and its flat biking path is an easy route that finally comes to meet the N118 road. Another 1500 meters along the road until crossing Saclay-Bourg and reaching le Christ de Saclay and its roundabout. One last kilometer along the D306 road is finally needed to reach the Porte Est of the CEA. Within the barb wire, this is the last 500 meters, successively next to the headquarters, the Restaurant 2 and its famous pond, where some show their last bit of energy to sprint suddenly and victoriously cross the finish line in front of NeuroSpin.

OpenRunner

History and major events:

2020:

This year's edition was organized under particular sanitary conditions due to Covid-19. There was one group of cyclists and one group of runners.

2019:

That year's edition was a record in terms of participants: 11 runners, 9 cyclists.

2017:

The 6th Paris-NeuroSpin edition took place on June 15. A video montage captured a selection of the good moments from that day.

video credits: C. Doublé

2016:

Only runners showed up on the start line (1 lady 6 gentlemen) that day of 22 april and just one bike was to join them on the few last kilometers. This was maybe the fastest group across years globally, leaving from Porte de Vanves at 7:45am and arriving around 9:55, hence making it in just above 2 hours. That year was the first to provide a refreshment point, in the Forêt de Verrières to be precise. The works on the roads next to the CEA required to be more careful on the last section. Like the previous year, Philippe Ciuciu and Jean-Robert Deverre made it easily, ranking 1st and 2nd. Victor Delattre ranked 3rd in a brave final sprint. Edouard Duchesnay also deserves a special mention for forfeiting just on the day before so as to achieve a noble rescue mission in a distant civilization.

photo and video credits: M. Bouin

2015:

This year sets a record in terms of number of participants: 13 finishers (5 ladies 8 gentlemen) - 8 runners 3 run & bikes and 2 bikes. In an almost traditional manner, Philippe Ciuciu ranked 1st, then followed by Augustin Duval and Jean-Robert Deverre. A curious yet unexplained fact about the rankings is that the runners crossed the finish line before the bikes. That year was also the year of the Paris-NeuroSpin tee-shirts. That same year Nicolas Souedet inaugurated a new type of event: the Paris-Fontenay-aux-Roses.

video credits: P. Ciuciu

2014:

First year with bikes.

photo credits: U. Thoprakarn

2013:

First year along the Coulée Verte, a much more pleasant route than before. The number of participants keeps on going up. "Hesitating" in the Forêt de Verrières. First year with nice supporting fellows acclaiming the finishers.

video credits: P. Ciuciu

2012:

First year with Philippe. It would be the first of his unshared victories. That year the same route was selected as the year before, meaning long road sections in the beginning.

video credits: P. Ciuciu

2011:

The first proof-of-concept, of which no photograph remains. Only this stats sheet clearly showing that some improvements needed to be carried out. That year only two participants did go for it: François De Guio and myself. We headed for the most direct route we could figure, hence ending by following long roads especially in the first part. We also started from Porte d'Orléans. We made it in 2:39 hours.