Lille Marathon is back after 31 years: Célestin Ndikumana and Afera Behra take the wins, Mezgebu Sime and Mathilde Sénéchal shine in the half

Men's Marathon: Célestin Ndikumana takes down the old hands

For much of the race, the lead pack stayed tight, probably to shelter from the wind. They were running at roughly 2:08 pace. Between 28k and 32k the group began to stretch, shrinking from around fifteen runners to about ten.

The race really caught fire at 32k, on the way back into Lille from the south. Gebru Redahgne, wearing bib number 1, fired the first shot. With Célestin Ndikumana on his shoulder, he gradually picked up the pace and opened a few metres. A sustained push that slowly strung out the leaders.

The two-man break lasted about two kilometres before two rivals, including Salomon Mutai, closed back on the front. Edwin Kiptoo then bridged across at 35k. With five at the front the attacks kept coming, but the podium contenders stayed together until 37k.

That's when Célestin Ndikumana chose to make the difference. Just 24 and running his first marathon, the Burundian struck right after the Parc Jean-Baptiste-Lebas. Gebru Redahgne and Salomon Mutai tried to respond while the others gradually faded. The podium seemed to be taking shape: two seasoned marathoners and one remarkably bold newcomer.

Ndikumana kept pushing to stretch the gap. Behind him, Mutai and Redahgne stayed in touch until 39k, when the Ugandan threw in another surge. The Ethiopian followed, but second place was settled by a steady grind over the last 1,500 metres. With no real sprint, Mutai gradually pulled away.

Célestin Ndikumana wins in 2:07:52, 1:44 clear of Salomon Mutai, second in 2:09:36. Gebru Redahgne completes the podium in 2:09:39, just three seconds back.

At the finish, the winner looked satisfied but drained. He also stressed how tough the conditions were: “I feel good, I'm happy. The race was good, but there was really too much wind. I did my best, it was much harder.”

Burundi also put in a strong team showing, with Emile Hafashimana fourth in 2:10:16. Edwin Kiptoo (2:10:24) and Melese Kasa (2:10:46) round out the top six.

Women's Marathon: Afera Behra in a league of her own

The women's race was far more straightforward. Afera Behra took charge early and was never threatened. Alongside her pacer, she rolled through to the finish and won in 2:22:30.

The gap to her chasers says it all: Kenya's Faith Chepkoech finished second in 2:35:39, more than 13 minutes back. Her compatriot Caroline Biwott completed the podium in 2:39:14. Behind that international trio, the French women took over. Amélia Cuvellier delivered a fine fourth place in 2:41:50, ahead of Diotime Boudoussier, fifth in 2:42:27.

Men's Half Marathon: Mezgebu Sime puts on a show

The half marathon started about ten minutes late. No consequence for Mezgebu Sime, who quickly took control and never let go. The Ethiopian dominated the race in 1:00:23, a clear and emphatic win.

Barely across the line, he lay down on the ground, visibly spent. Nothing alarming, though: the winner had simply dug deep to hold his pace to the end.

Behind him, the fight for the podium spots was tighter. Ethiopia's Ararso Negasa Gemada took second in 1:01:37, 1:14 back. Kenya's Onesmus Kipchirchir took the last podium spot in 1:01:45, ahead of Tanzania's Emanuel Dinday (1:01:58) and Naibei Kiplimo Mayebei (1:02:09).

First Frenchman home, Nicolas Vitré finished a solid sixth in 1:02:28. He had broken away from the group at 7k to run alongside Dutchman Nathan Houwaard, who ended up seventh in 1:02:37. At the finish, Vitré was pleased with his run but regretted the wind: “I'm very happy. I wanted to run 1:02, but with the wind it was tough. I think I was worth more in easier conditions”. Antonin Marquant, tenth in 1:03:26, rounds out the French presence in the top 10.

Women's Half Marathon: Mathilde Sénéchal breaks through

Mathilde Sénéchal made a statement in the Lille half. The Frenchwoman won in 1:10:12, improving her PB and confirming her progress over the distance. She beat Brest's Mazarine Amis, second in 1:12:16 (PB), while Switzerland's Romane Wolhauser completed the podium in 1:13:34. Manon Evrard (1:13:43) and Laëtitia Bleunven (1:14:24) finished fourth and fifth.

For the winner, the time rewards a patiently built race. At our microphone, she looked back at her goal and how the race unfolded: “My goal was really to go under 1:11. At 5k and 10k I was right on schedule, and at 15k I was 9 seconds down. So I decided to shake up the group of guys I was with, and surprisingly I felt much better over those last five or six kilometres than over the rest of the race.”

A build-up that suits her profile: “That's often how it goes for me. I take a while to get going, and the finish goes well. I completely switched off, I stopped looking at my watch, I just tried to keep pushing. It was relative suffering, I've hurt a lot more in other races. I didn't think I'd claw back that much time at the end. ”

The result comes at just the right moment for the Frenchwoman, who is in the thick of her Valencia Marathon build. With 130 kilometres in the legs this week, she wraps up a big training block with a particularly encouraging PB.

“This time gives me confidence. But the marathon stays demanding and so particular. I'd been stuck around 1:11-1:12, so that's a good barrier broken. The more sessions or races like this you stack up, the more calmly you can go for it.”

Beyond the clock, Mathilde Sénéchal will also remember the welcome from the Lille crowd, there from the first kilometre to the last:

The atmosphere was incredible, there wasn't a ten-metre stretch without someone cheering us on. I've rarely seen anything like it. Over 21 kilometres it really pushes you, you forget about yourself and let the noise carry you.

French runners: disappointment and ambition

Not every French runner had the same day. In the half, Benoît Fanouillère finished 23rd in 1:06:55, well short of his 1:04 goal. The Breton thinks he picked the wrong shoes for a course that was still very wet.

“They didn't grip at all, they're super smooth, I could tell as soon as the warm-up ended. The wind picked up from halfway, which didn't help either, but I don't want to make excuses. ”

A new father that week, he had made the trip from Brittany hoping to lock in a time. Despite the disappointment, he also takes away the positives of the day: “The course is great, the atmosphere was superb.”

In the marathon, Hugo Macquet was first Frenchman, 13th in 2:19:17. It was a special race for him: he was running at home, in front of family and friends, with the aim of being first French finisher. “After looking at the start list and the entry times, I had in mind to be first Frenchman, at home in front of family and friends. ”

The wind forced him to scale back, though. Originally aiming for 2:16, he adapted his plan to tougher conditions: “At the start, my goal was 2:16. Given the conditions, I went out more for 2:20”. He finished under that new mark despite the difficulties on the course. He also took away the energy of the crowd, which sometimes carried him away: “You have to watch your pace, otherwise you push a bit too hard, especially early on, there were incredible crowds along the road”. The next goal is already set: “I'd like to run another marathon next year, under 2:16.”

Lille has its marathon back

Beyond the times and the performances, this edition will be remembered for the turnout. Despite the foul weather the day before, thousands of spectators showed up to cheer on the runners, from the first finishers to the last. The volunteers also played a vital role in making this comeback a success.

After 31 years away, Lille got its marathon back with a fervour that went well beyond sport. A day of sharing, effort and collective enthusiasm, and a reminder of how much running can bring people together. It already makes you want to see what comes next.