A unifying event

For several years now, a movement has been underway to reinforce the link between the metropolis of Lille and the coalfield area. It is currently making great headway, with the Louvre-Lens project playing a significant role.

What was needed was a means of materializing the link between the areas... At the Lille Métropole Development Agency, Philippe Lamblin (president of the Nord-Pas de Calais athletics federation) and Jean-François Caron (regional councilor, Mayor of Loos-en-Gohelle, and president of the Bassin Minier Unesco association) suggested that sport could play a key role in consolidating this link.

The "Route du Louvre" run—a major sporting event featuring a marathon, a 10 km run, and a range of walks—is an original way of physically linking the two areas while promoting the arrival of the Louve-Lens.

The marathon route—from Lille Métropole to former mineshaft 9 of the Lens mines, where the new museum will be built—passes some of the region's most remarkable sites. It follows a section of the banks of the Deûle, highlighting a pastoral setting typical of northern France.

A recognized race

With its first edition in 2006, the "Route du Louvre" run became a national sporting event (ranked fifth nationally thanks to its 2,800 participants). It is, of course, recognized by the French Athletics Federation. The 2007 edition, which can qualify participants for the French marathon championships, is also internationally approved. The aim of the organizers is to make it one of the great European marathons in as short a time as possible.

An event for everyone

For those who are daunted by a marathon, there is also a 10 km run and four walks of different distances, so everyone can participate whatever their age or sporting ability. The arrival of the Louvre-Lens is the perfect opportunity for a friendly get-together of this kind, with events of all kinds organized by municipalities and associations all along the route.

During the 2007 edition, children were invited by the Louvre museum to join some artistic workshops located on the site. In 2008, Copies of the main works from the Louvre collections were exhibited along the marathon course. In 2009, one of the public favorite work of the Louvre, the Winged Victory of Samothrace was the emblem of the event.