“The city's first off-stadium club”, Montpellier Start Running seeks results but also recognition to grow better

Les athlètes du MSR préparent leur saison d’hiver. MSR

Le club montpelliérain a un programme chargé pour cet hiver où ses athlètes seront de toutes les courses ou presque.

With around 200 members, Montpellier Start Running is expanding. And the running sports association wants to make it known: “We are listed as the leading non-stadium club in Montpellier in terms of results and number of athletes,” says Laurent Vicente, the founder, former president and now sports director. The club has reached a certain maturity that requires a better understanding with the town hall to allow us to have more access to sports facilities and therefore more facilities to organize our sports events each week.”

In the meantime, Montpellier Start Running, chaired by Arnaud Bouffard, has a busy schedule for the upcoming winter season, one of the highlights of which is on March 30 in Saint-Tropez for the French 10km championships.

More than 35 athletes in the blue jersey will be present in the Var and will make up two men's teams and one women's team in seniors, two junior teams, four in masters and around ten runners in the espoir category.

Laurent Vicente on the continental scene

Julien Ameduri (record at 30'08 over 10km road) and Maxime Tesch (29'56 at the 10km in Barcelona at the end of December) will be the headliners of the MSR which will aim for a top 10 team finish for both men and women.

At the same time and in the same place, the French marathon championship will be an opportunity to follow Alexandre Janusz who is aiming for the title in the category – 65 years (M6).

While Laurent Vicente will line up for the historic distance (42.195km), his main objective is two weeks earlier (March 13 and 14) in Italy for the European Skyrunning Championships.

The Hérault native will try to be in the top 10 in the vertical kilometer (1000m D +). To achieve this, the 46-year-old runner runs 160 kilometres, trains more than 25 hours a week and will soon be going on a training course in Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales).

So, although he feels he lacks support from the communities for the moment, Vicente continues to run and develop his club with desire and passion.