BlablaRun Club brings runners together on the streets of Nancy

Under the glow of Nancy’s Christmas lights, several hundred runners set off from Place Stanislas, an iconic square known for its 17th-century French classical and neoclassical architecture, with a spectacular Christmas tree at its center. Wearing headlamps and layers suited to Grand Est temperatures, they make their way towards the banks of the Marne-Rhine Canal for a 5 to 7 km route. Split into three pace groups, runners set off at two-minute intervals to prevent bottlenecks and avoid disrupting traffic in the city centre. Guided by volunteers in yellow vests, “our brand, our way of being visible”, explains Valentin Bourrel, the club’s founder. They move through the darkness of winter, lighting up the night with their energy.

This weekly run has become an unmissable ritual for more than 500 people from Nancy. No stopwatch, no age limit. Some have taken up running again thanks to these sessions: the group provides motivation and reassurance, especially for women, and even creates lasting connections. Genuine friendships have begun here. For a few, so has romance. There are plenty of reasons to come and discover BlablaRun, but far fewer to leave.

A human adventure driven by one passionate runner

“ My first goal was to bring people together to run and feel good, both mentally and physically. I quickly realised the best way to do that was to combine the two by creating a social running club ”, recalls Valentin, a content creator who already had a strong following when he launched BBRC. “There was also a personal side to it: I thought it would be great to meet all the people who follow me.” More than 40 runners showed up for the very first run on 3 June. A sizeable turnout for a launch, before the numbers really took off.

Nearly 75 runners came to the second meet-up in the middle of summer, close to 100 on 17 June, then came an incredible surge after the summer break: more than 130 runners on 2 September. The curve only went one way from there. “ At first, it was mainly people who followed me directly. I posted about it on my main account. I think I only created the club’s Instagram account around the fourth or fifth edition ”, says Valentin with a smile. He runs the event and clearly loves sharing the experience. It shows. “ I share information the way I’d like to receive it.” His GoPro passes from hand to hand, with everyone capturing a piece of the experience. Once the footage is edited together with cutaways and testimonials, the result really pops. “They’re happy to appear on camera, it brings them together, and it looks great in the end.”

And it works brilliantly. For the seventh edition, on 11 September, 180 runners turned up. More than 300 came to the eighth. For the ninth, 150 hardy runners braved the rain in their waterproofs. The record was smashed at the tenth edition in early October, with more than 400 determined participants. Quite an achievement when you remember there had been just 40 of them four months earlier... On 17 October, the numbers exploded: more than 500 participants joined the special Halloween edition. Priests, devils, fairies and superheroes took over the streets of Nancy in an atmosphere guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.

Behind the scenes of a club running at full speed

Six people have been keeping the BBRC association going since 3 June. Its founder, Valentin Bourrel, is president, while Paul Matheron handles the secretary’s role, “one of my best mates from school”, Valentin admits. As for treasurer Vincent Godbert, “he came along from the very first runs, but he’s become indispensable”, says Valentin. Alban Cheval, Léo Darsonval and Camille Neu also play key roles in making the events run smoothly, as VP Logistics, VP Graphics and VP Communications respectively. “I’d say five or six are people I knew beforehand, but there are nearly 10 I didn’t know. We get on really well. Then we assign roles according to everyone’s preferences. It’s pretty informal”, he confirms.

Around 30 volunteers lend a hand, including Oscar Michel, Jeferson Trevisan, Sofian Bary and Léo Bizzochi. About 15 of them are “actively” involved in the Blablarun Club association, “helping me with communications, run declarations and some of the emails.” Most are simply “people who wanted to help. We have them sign a charter to give the whole thing some structure.” Some lead the pace groups at the front, others sweep at the back, while others protect runners at pedestrian crossings. “We could really use some feather flags, the kind with the pace printed on them, to make everything even more visible,” Valentin concludes.

© BlablaRun Club

A route designed for everyone

The route rarely changes, for safety and organisational reasons. “ I’ve met with the City of Nancy several times. We agreed not to alter the route too much: there aren’t many pedestrian crossings providing access to the pedestrianised areas when starting from Place Stanislas.” One thing never changes, however: the start and finish points. Everything else can shift. The loop ranges from 5 to 7 km. Runners always follow the canal, sometimes taking a detour, sometimes cutting a corner.

Valentin wanted to adapt the pace groups almost immediately. “ By the fourth or fifth session, I wanted to create two groups because some people were telling me: not everyone can run at the same speed.” But with so many runners, two groups were not enough. The club therefore moved to three paces: 5:30/km, 6:00/km and 6:30/km. It was a way to open the run to as many ability levels as possible while simplifying the organisation.

Runs with a purpose

Since 7 October, the club’s charity runs have come thick and fast. The idea emerged almost naturally. “ The first time, an organisation contacted me to ask if we could help out. I thought it was brilliant: it gives them visibility and can even raise money for them ”, Valentin explains. For the 11th edition, nearly 500 runners dressed in pink for Octobre Rose. It was a memorable first charity run that brought people together to raise awareness, beyond the sporting side of things. “ With Octobre Rose, I saw that it worked really well. So we carried on. Now it happens naturally.” On 4 November, the colour was blue for Movember. Pencil-drawn moustaches, a relaxed atmosphere and huge energy. “ People were doing each other’s make-up. It creates a real community spirit. The run becomes more than just a run: a party takes shape every Tuesday. It’s become a festive fixture.”

On 11 November, BBRC joined forces with ICN Bachelor Promotion for a symbolic run dedicated to the Bleuet de France. More than 700 participants paid tribute to everyone affected by conflict, followed by 30 seconds of applause. On 18 November, the colour turned purple for Espoir Pancréas and World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Despite the freezing temperatures, the runners showed up. On 25 November, everyone wore green to support victims of school bullying. Then, on 2 December, the 19th edition supported Kid’Action: a run to help maintain the garden for sick children at CHU Brabois, a place where they can get some fresh air throughout the year. “ These events really resonate. They raise awareness and encourage conversation. Some people say, ‘I know someone who had that type of cancer.’ I think it does everyone a lot of good.”

Valentin Bourrel, deep into preparations for an Ironman 70.3, is living life at full speed. “You don’t get anything without putting in the work”, he says, delighted to make people happy in his own way. Whatever brings someone to a BlablaRun, everyone gets something out of it. For some, running in a group means feeling safe. For others, the social side comes first. Getting active in the company of a little human warmth in the middle of December, who could say no?

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