APIRUNTOUR brings a Christmas race to Liffré on December 20, 2025

Following the creation of its eco-conscious, charitable ultra-trail, held every year in the third week of April in the Forest of Rennes, a new race is taking shape: the Christmas race, whose inaugural edition will be held on December 20 in a first-of-its-kind format. Alongside the event, a food drive will collect donations to support the most vulnerable residents of Liffré, in Ille-et-Vilaine. In time, this race could become Brittany’s new end-of-year highlight.

Celebrating sport at the end of the year

“ There wasn’t much for runners at this time of year, so we thought it would be a lovely way to round off the year with friends, a club or family, because it’s a time when families come together, says the event’s creator, Leila. It’s a fairly quiet period for sporting events.” On December 20, the celebrations will therefore take over the streets of Liffré, bringing the Breton town centre to life at the end of the year.

Entirely urban, the race will be run at night, taking its cue from the festive end-of-year corridas, with live music all along the course, plenty of cheering points, easy to reach thanks to the runners’ repeated laps, and costumed participants, creating a full immersion in the Christmas atmosphere. A Christmas market will also be set up for the occasion, with plenty of surprises to discover, including a carriage transformed into a sleigh that can carry up to seven children. “ We’re passionate about this. We’re currently taking everything apart and rebuilding it from scratch,” adds Leila, the association’s secretary.

A charitable race during the festive season

Included in Liffré’s winter festivities programme, this new race aims to be both festive and charitable. Alongside the live music, the event will collect non-perishable food items such as rice, jam, fruit purée, pâté and canned vegetables for the municipality’s most vulnerable families. The choice of date, just four days before Christmas, is no coincidence. Traditionally associated with solidarity, this time of year could encourage runners to take a greater interest in the collection.

The race’s charitable dimension grew out of a collaboration between the sporting-events association APIRUNTOUR, where “strong connections have been forged,” founded by beekeepers Pascal Neveux and Leila Geneaux from the sports-nutrition brand APIRUN, and the town’s food bank. “ We built it from the ground up,” Leila explains. “With all the women volunteering alongside us, we want this to be a genuinely charitable race. So we suggested that the town organise a food drive among the runners, benefiting the local food bank, which helps people in need. At Christmas, most of us are lucky enough to sit down to a well-stocked table, but that isn’t the case for everyone. We thought this was the right time to do something,”. »

A standout field for the inaugural edition

Despite the event’s recent creation, several elite athletes are already among the entrants. “We’re going to have a strong field”, says Leila, the association’s secretary. The race will notably welcome Finistère native Florian Caro, CA du Pays Saumurois athlete Nicolas Vitré, road and track runner for Bussy-Saint-Georges Athlétisme, Maxime Perrineau, and Nicolas Angermuller, an unconventional runner known for one distinctive trait: he races... in sandals.

More names are already on the guest list, while several athletes, particularly women, are still awaiting confirmation. “ I’ve locked in a few athletes. We’re in contact with four more who are currently planning their seasons. We have to wait until October,” Leila explains. Some of the expected performances already promise to be impressive, with runners potentially breaking 30 minutes for 10 km. The organisers are determined to give these athletes the best possible conditions: “It needs to be comfortable for them. If they’re taking the time to travel here, it’s only right that we meet them halfway.”

With all the women volunteering alongside us, we want this to be a genuinely charitable race. So we suggested that the town organise a food drive among the runners.

Formats for every runner

To cater to as many people as possible and leave no one on the sidelines, four events are scheduled for December 20. First up, three children’s races, called “Les Amis Monstres”, will allow younger runners to race alongside children in their age group: 2012-2013 / 2014-2015 / 2016-2018.

Then there’s a 5 km, named “L’Orange Bleue”, for short-distance fans and beginners looking for an accessible first challenge. Finally, two 10 km races will be offered to ensure smoother finish-line flow and provide greater comfort for participants:

• The “API for FUN”, designed for beginner runners or anyone looking for a friendly atmosphere, as its name suggests.

• The “Élite Running Conseil”, reserved for the most experienced runners, with entry standards based on 10 km personal bests: under 45 minutes for women, under 40 minutes for men. “ This race will give the fastest athletes the freedom to express themselves over the distance.”

“ Because it’s a three-lap course, runners can pass one another fairly easily, so the idea is not to get in each other’s way. ” Whichever format they choose, the course, measured and certified by an international course measurer, consists of three laps (3.330 km each). It is expected to be very fast (10 km, 69 m elevation gain), making it ideal for chasing a PB.

The different formats mean there is something for everyone. “ It’s going to be a very mixed field,” Leila begins. “A runner asked me whether there was a time limit for the 5 km because she wants to run it in 50 minutes. We’ve set up staggered race starts so that it’s accessible to people like her, who want to set themselves a small personal challenge before the holidays, who may not be high-performing athletes but are still pushing themselves,”. »

APIRUNTOUR’s Christmas race is shaping up to become a must-run December fixture for Brittany’s runners. Alongside its charitable and friendly spirit, the organisers have made accessibility a priority. “ We really want this to be a popular event. We’d rather participants make a generous food donation to the food bank than penalise them with a high entry fee,” concludes the event organiser, delighted as registration for the inaugural edition prepares to open.

➜ Registration opens on Sunday, September 7