How to properly prepare and manage the Saintélyon?

The SaintéLyon is a race that is both legendary and unusual. It is run at night towards the end of autumn in conditions that are often cold, even icy and potentially rainy, muddy. Some years, snow and ice can be part of it. And you have to cover 82 km to finish it, almost two marathons in a row. In short, a demanding, unique race that you have to prepare well and also manage well on the day. But also a race that leaves unique memories. I can still see the endless serpentine of headlamps in the middle of the night in a snowy landscape between Saint-Étienne and Lyon. It was magical!

So that you can make the most of it, here are some tips for a successful Saintélyon:

Before the race

1. Progressiveness of training

A race like the Saintélyon ​​requires a long period of preparation to get used to the distance (repetition of long runs) and to ensure that you increase your load very gradually. It is not mandatory but it is a plus to have already run in fairly long endurance races, such as a Marathon or a long Trail for example of 50 km and it is better to start in good shape before starting to train for this type of race format and to be able to do it mostly or entirely by running. On the race website, a standard training plan is proposed and it is spread over 26 weeks, or half a year. This is a fairly long training period for a race, but it is also and above all an excellent way to give yourself every chance of going to the end in a state of advanced fatigue, but without falling into the scenario of a long night of struggle. This type of structured training must be followed week by week with a mix of speed sessions, recovery, hills/descents, threshold outings and long hiking-running outings, all enhanced once a week with muscle strengthening sessions and here and there a bit of cycling to vary the pleasures. And of course, it is necessary to respect both the progressiveness of the training phase and the recovery days to avoid overtraining with the risk of excessive fatigue and/or injury.

2. Vary training terrain and conditions

The triple particularity of the Saintélyon ​​is that it is a night race, a race at the end of autumn and a race on mixed terrain between paths and roads (with climbs, descents and flat and medium mountains, countryside and city). It is therefore essential to vary the terrain during preparation to train on fairly passable dirt roads, gravel paths, slightly muddy or even very muddy paths or trails and roads. Some years you may even find yourself running on a blanket of snow. It is also necessary to include night training to simulate race conditions. Running with a headlamp downhill on a stony, wet or even muddy path is worth experimenting with before the big day. And generally speaking, running at night is a very different experience that requires a bit of adaptation and testing, especially to ensure good visibility in front of you (setting and intensity of the headlamp and good positioning, with the right angle so as not to have to constantly lower your head under penalty of certain pain in the neck during and after the race). Train in cold weather, and even consider at least one training session from the end of the night until early morning when the temperature is at its lowest, to get used to racing conditions that are out of the norm and especially to ensure that you will not be cold after several hours of racing (especially in the fingers, head, ears, etc.).

3. Prepare and test the equipment

A long race like the Saintélyon, mostly on paths, trails and roads in the middle of the mountains in the middle of the night and at the end of November, requires preparing and testing your equipment during the preparation phase. What should you bring? First, remember to have three layers for the top and to have something to cover your extremities: tights/leggings or shorts (tights/leggings are not an absolute requirement, but they are still strongly recommended); a short-sleeved 1st ^layer T-shirt + forearm sleeves (optional) or a long-sleeved 1st layer T-shirt, a long-sleeved top, all breathable and quick-drying and a waterproof running jacket; running gloves & cap, potentially a neck warmer (at least in the trail bag); of course, suitable trail shoes that have been tested extensively during the training phase with comfortable socks (beware of blisters); the headlamp with recharge batteries; the trail bag, one or two water bottles or a camelback, gels, bars, fruits; a whistle (they are sometimes included in trail bags) and your mobile phone just in case. And above all, test all your equipment (and your nutrition/hydration) in conditions as similar as possible to the race (at night and if possible a few times in cold or rainy conditions… who said it was only going to be fun!).

4. Rest and maximum freshness over the last 2 weeks

To prepare for this night race of more than 80 km, do not neglect rest and recovery days during your entire training. And above all, rest the last two weeks. Try to arrive as fresh as possible for this long night that awaits you. If possible, avoid overloaded weeks at work just before the race and take it really easy on the last two weeks of training. If you have followed your training plan with a fair amount of assiduity over many months, no worries: you are sharp enough. No need to force it on the last weeks, it will be counterproductive.

During the race:

5. Check the weather and (potentially) adapt your equipment

During the last week, it is advisable for the Saintélyon ​​to carefully check the weather forecast. What will the temperature be? Is there a high probability of rain or snow? What will the state of the paths and trails be: dry or slippery, a little muddy in places, maybe even snowy in places? Even if you have planned everything in terms of equipment, it is important to be prepared, to know what type of conditions you will have during the race rather than finding yourself around 3 or 4 in the morning thinking that you did not exactly take what you needed in the middle of the night in negative temperatures. I am not trying to worry you at all, but rather to prepare you. If you know what to expect, mentally it will be less hard especially in the middle of the night or early in the morning when you have already been running for 4 or 5 hours.

6. Manage your race

This seems obvious unless (or even) you are an elite runner or a very good runner, but you will have to manage your race by being very careful about the race pace. You have to save yourself to be able to run or run-walk for 10 or 12 hours, or even more. Running at night, in often cold, rainy or snowy weather and sometimes on rough trails adds to the difficulty. The supports are not always as easy as in broad daylight on a very smooth road and in good weather. The ground can be slippery and strewn with pitfalls (stones, roots, etc.). You have to stay vigilant as fatigue sets in. This requires, especially for beginners in this type of long format and in this autumnal night race that is the Saintélyon, to adopt very careful race management with a conservative pace.

7. Manage your hydration and diet

In a race of this duration, it is impossible to finish the race without good management of hydration and nutrition. You will burn more calories than your initial reserves at the start. You will therefore have to eat gradually throughout the race to be able to finish this epic race which will last all night and part of the morning, or even into the afternoon. You must therefore test, experiment during your training between solid food, liquid food, between salty and sweet and ensure that you have a sufficient calorific intake for you according to your height, weight and target pace (hence the importance of having the appropriate clothing equipment so as not to have to burn calories to avoid being cold in addition to the calories needed for running-walking for long hours).

8. Take advantage of the Refueling Points

The refreshment points during the Saintélyon ​​are in tents. This is therefore the ideal opportunity to find shelter, drink a hot drink or soup and warm up, rest a little. Unless you are aiming for a ranking, take advantage of the refreshment points to get healthy again, to catch your breath, to eat quietly while stopping, which is easier for you and your stomach. Take advantage of the refreshment points even more, especially on the second half of the course after 40 or 50 km, in the middle of the night and early in the morning. The extra minutes that you spend at the refreshment points to eat, rest a little, warm up, you will largely make up for them over the duration of the event by avoiding the risk of a big bout of fatigue or a big slump over the last 20 or 30 kilometers which could literally bring you to a standstill or slow you down enormously.

9. Beware of relays that arrive quickly and overtake you

A little tip also for solo runners, those who run the Saintélyon ​​from start to finish. As there are several race formats, you risk especially in the second half of the race seeing relay runners from teams of two or three runners. You will no longer be as fresh as at the beginning and suddenly, you will hear… 'left, left'… and you will see a ^2nd or ^3rd relay runner coming up on your left, much fresher than you and therefore much faster. When you have been running for hours, your lucidity and reflexes will no longer be the same. Try to move away a little to avoid a collision or a stupid fall. The event is already difficult enough. No need to have to deal with a fall and the minor injuries that could result from it.

10. Enjoy the experience

You are embarking on a major challenge and you are going to run a legendary and unique race. Make the most of it, turn around a few times on the heights to look at the long serpentine of lights with the headlamps of all the runners following you. In the middle of the night, it is great and very impressive. It is as if a giant snake that sparkles and undulates in the middle of the night on the hills between Saint-Etienne and Lyon followed you for a large part of the night.

The Saintélyon ​​is the oldest night trail in France and for trail running and ultra enthusiasts, it is an experience like no other, a night race at the end of autumn, demanding especially because of the race conditions.

To do at least once in your trail running life.