Binomes is the go-to platform for running as a pair

There’s no shortage of them. Dating sites are everywhere. But this one, called Binomes, is something else entirely. It wasn’t created to help people find love. It was created to share sport. Through the platform, anyone can join the community as a volunteer guide, accompanying blind or visually impaired people in their sporting activities, especially running.

A clear goal: giving running pairs more freedom

Since its launch in February 2024, the Binomes association has brought together a wide range of pairs. Among them are members of “Courir en duo”, an informal group that brings sighted and visually impaired runners together, as well as members of Jeunesse Athlétique de Montrouge, the first multisport club in Paris’s 14th arrondissement to create a running section for blind and visually impaired athletes. Some were drawn to a platform that would allow them to guide, or be guided, by getting directly in touch with one another, without being tied to a specific time or place.

Binomes founder Frédéric Augier is first and foremost a passionate runner. Running had brought him personal fulfilment and genuine satisfaction, until he felt the urge to give others what sport had given him. That desire grew in particular through encounters with people with disabilities at races, whom he took a special interest in. “At some point, you want to help people who are inspiring and endearing. Especially those who, at first glance, don’t have easy access to sport and everything it brings: people with disabilities, and particularly visual impairments. They may be the ones who need guides the most, because they rely heavily on guidance. But with a guide’s help, you can do anything,” he recalls. He remembers the joy he felt during his first outings as a guide: “ You share a uniquely human experience. It transforms running. You feel the emotions of team sport and the satisfaction of being useful through sport, and they go beyond anything you can experience as a marathoner, half-marathoner or Sunday runner. ”

Frédéric Augier also ran into a scheduling problem himself. After training as a guide with JAM, a change in his professional circumstances meant he could no longer get to the Jules-Noël Sports Centre on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., when the group held its sessions. That was the starting point for the idea of a free, no-commitment platform open to everyone. “ At races, we spoke to people with visual impairments and potential guides. The feedback was often enthusiastic, and people really appreciated the concept. But there was also a recurring frustration: they couldn’t take part because existing groups operated at locations or times that didn’t work for them,” says the man now running the association.

An intuitive platform making guided running more accessible

Click the “Become a guide” button, enter a few key details, and you’re done. Your profile is created, and you can then connect with guides or blind and visually impaired runners.

Several videos were produced with experienced pairs to help new guides get started. Their purpose is to offer clear, practical advice on guiding. The tutorials cover the essential basics. “ People are directed to the videos, and they actively ask for them,” explains Frédéric Augier. Guiding isn’t something you can improvise. We wanted to provide highly practical, educational content: how to accompany someone with a visual impairment when there are steps, whether going up or down, or when negotiating turns. There are a few techniques to learn. It’s not complicated, but you do need to properly take in the information.”

To answer new guides’ questions, reassure them and take some of the pressure out of the experience, welcome webinars will also be introduced soon. Another feature will round out the platform: a full e-learning course, with quizzes to check that users have understood the videos and a questionnaire to make sure the main techniques are clear. Finally, for those who feel they need support in the field, association members point them towards training sessions run by JAM or “Courir en duo”.

© Binomes

A platform gathering momentum

In barely two years, the initiative has spread widely across Île-de-France, as well as two other regions for now: Hauts-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. “ Let’s say that 90% of users are in Île-de-France,” says Frédéric Augier, while keeping his longer-term ambitions firmly in sight. The goal is clear: expand nationwide, and even internationally if the platform proves successful. “ By 2027–2028, the aim is to support 5,000 people with disabilities, with the help of 15,000 guides,” says the association’s founder. The ratio makes sense, since there are generally three guides for every person being guided.

This setup provides flexibility: guides aren’t expected to commit every week and have real freedom in how they take part, choosing their availability from one week to the next. “For guides, it’s reassuring not to feel obliged. It gives you the freedom to guide whenever you have time available.” For the people being guided, regularly changing guides also brings a special kind of richness: new experiences, different conversations and fresh perspectives. “ It’s incredibly stimulating,” Frédéric confirms.

From next year, the association also plans to build a network of Binomes local coordinators. Their role will be to manage registrations locally, connect with the sporting community and the running world, and work with organisations supporting people with visual impairments and other disabilities. The goal is clear: to bring the Binomes community to life in every area. “ When someone being guided tells you that Binomes has changed their life, you don’t need any more fuel. You find the energy and motivation to give your free time in the evenings and at weekends, so that as many people as possible can benefit in as many regions as possible,” he concludes.

Through Binomes, pairs are forming to the delight of visually impaired runners who love the sport. The flexibility offered by the platform means everyone can find a setup that works for them, creating pairs who, in some cases, will line up at the Course des Binômes, a 10K race reserved for pairs and held as part of the Paris Saint-Germain-en-Laye event on May 10.

➜ All the information