The Trojan Benoît Nayrac in search of the seven greatest marathons in the world
At 52, Benoît Nayrac is on track to complete the 7 Major Marathons. Having already finished in Sydney, London, and New York, the organizer of the Troyes Half Marathon is preparing to take part in the Boston Marathon, eager to perform well but above all to savor the unique atmosphere of the race.
At 50 years old, can you really rise from the ashes? Benoît Nayrac, who set a record of 2:46:36 after turning 50, seems to be living proof that you can. It was first in Valencia, in December 2023, that the master fell flat on his face: he smashed his previous record, set in 2011, in 2:47. Then, in Sydney in September 2024, he lowered his benchmark again, even though he was not in his best shape at the time. Having undergone surgery for groin pain five months earlier and been heavily involved in sporting events in 2024 (carrying the Olympic torch and completing a stage of the Tour de France), his marathon preparation was limited to eight weeks. The secret to his success: “Put all the odds in your favor to perform better.” At over 50 years of age, experience allows him to stick to his goal more rigorously and seriously. “It’s a kind of mystical quest for the clock, learning to know yourself,” he confides, searching for the right words.
| A passionate fifty year old in search of the seven legendary marathons
Age is just an excuse to look away. The amateur runner, sports director for the city of Troyes, doesn’t hold back. Registered for the 2023 Valencia Marathon to recapture his former glory, he didn’t expect such a great performance. “I hadn’t run a marathon since Paris in 2011, because it’s relatively demanding. But in 2023, the year I turned 50, I improved my times in the 10K and half marathon,” he recalls. This double phenomenon prompted him to line up at the start in Valencia, without thinking for a second about breaking the 2:50 barrier. “When I saw that I was still feeling good at the halfway point, I waited a little while and then picked up the pace.” A proponent of the negative split, a sign of successful preparation and a perfectly executed race, he let his stride guide him to that famous time of 2:47. “I hadn’t planned on doing another one,” he explains. “But a few days later, I received an email from the majors informing me that I had qualified for the World Championships in my age group.”
A new goal was born in the mind of this “competitor at heart”: to fly to Australia and continue to vibrate to the rhythm of running. Life still plays tricks on him, but ends up surprising him by rolling his personal record once again into oblivion. « What an emotion! I told myself ‘wow, it’s great’, especially since the course was much less rolling. » The story doesn’t end there. Once again qualified for the Worlds, he realizes that he is already committing to his second Major, the one in New York. “Why not try to do them all?” he asks, giving birth to his quest for marathons around the world. Beyond the performance, it is especially his passion that encourages him to travel, accompanied by his loved ones. « I take the opportunity to be there to do a bit of tourism. It’s an opportunity to discover other cultures. It’s better to combine the useful, the sporty, the pleasant,” he confirms.
« If we lose the notion of pleasure, it becomes a constraint. »
Benoît Nayrac
| A double cap of organizer and runner
Director of sports for the city of Troyes, Benoît Nayrac is immersed in running, both as an organizer of the local half-marathon and as a seasoned runner. In April, he will be at the start of the Boston marathon, but in the meantime, he is taking it easy a bit. “I am caught up with by my body telling me that I need to calm down a little,” he says, forced to prioritize sports before starting his preparation six weeks before the big day. Maybe listening to oneself is the key. At 50, there is no longer really a choice: listening to one’s body becomes a necessity. Relativizing is also a way to appreciate the moment, even if the time has not been reached. This balance, he simply summarizes it: «If we lose the notion of pleasure, it becomes a constraint». His experience as a runner also allows him to be a better organizer, just like the members of his team, themselves runners. “They know what we are talking about.”
Each marathon gives him a different insight into the organization, some better oiled than others. “Those races, they are big machines of war. But I regretted that it was not better framed.” In New York, for example, he says he had “waited almost two hours to walk before being able to access the site. It was quite damaging, and it cooled me down a bit.” The crowd and the management of the airlocks also disrupted his concentration ‘I couldn’t even warm up’. In London, the mass of spectators and the intensity of encouragement destabilized him. “Me who likes to be focused on my stride, on myself. There, it was just impossible.”
Even if, with hindsight, he was also galvanized by the fervor of the public on the 42 km. For Boston, he shows confidence. “The logistics are well-oiled, it will be more restricted,” he explains, and he knows that it will be better adapted to his needs. Only the best riders in each category can participate, with minimum times, and the number of participants is limited to 25,000, which guarantees a more controlled course. Before taking off for the American race, he will however have to take care of his sciatica and have already prepared well for the 10 km in Troyes, support of the French Championships on May 10th. A challenge that he and his colleagues are working on with pleasure, to allow the runners to experience the race in the best conditions. “I am surrounded by a team of enthusiasts. It allows me to find small ideas from right to left… to improve the runner experience.”
What can one wish for Benoît Nayrac, beyond success on the organizational or sporting level? For this running enthusiast, it is above all the human experience that counts. In Boston, he will lift his eyes a little more towards the sky, take the time to observe what surrounds him, play with the shape of the moment… and can finally breathe at the end of 2027, after having completed his world tour of marathons.
➜ Discover the calendar of the World Marathon Majors
Sabine LOEB
Journaliste
