Running rituals and superstitions that stay with every racer

For Louis Michel (Clermont Auvergne Athlétisme), rituals were not always second nature. A blank year after changing clubs pushed him to “be more disciplined and listen to my coach.” The turning point came in 2023, after several difficult years, when the 2022 French junior 10,000 m champion produced a strong performance over 5 km. “I wrote down everything I had done during the week and the day before that race. That is where my routine began, even though it has changed since then,” explains the middle-distance runner.

“ I have nothing to reproach myself for when I have followed my habits and things do not work out. If I miss the big day, it is more likely because I trained badly in the preceding weeks or ran poorly that day. Getting into a routine helps me avoid becoming negative and overly anxious, because I feel a lot of stress before major events. In my head, whether it is before or during the race, I know exactly what I have to do. It is ingrained, and that is reassuring.

It starts with an easy run the day before, varying in length and supplemented by drills and strides depending on the importance of the event. A dress rehearsal 24 hours before the big moment.

In the days leading up to a race, Louis Michel focuses on the deadline ahead. Some of his rituals come from his first coach, Julien Chastang. Contrast showers are a perfect example, alternating hot and cold water, as is putting his “feet up the wall” before going to sleep.

The meticulous runner pays attention to every detail. The day before, an alarm goes off every 15 minutes to remind him to drink. “A major change” that helps him feel ready on race day. The 10K specialist rounds out his routine with an arnica massage and carefully puts on his compression socks: “four hours in the morning, one hour off, four hours in the afternoon.” The athlete boosts his motivation with running videos. At 8:30 p.m., his phone screen goes dark. He is in bed by 10 p.m. Silence descends, heavy as the moments before the starting gun. Two hours later, in the darkness, Louis Michel drifts off to sleep, already focused on the next day’s battle. In the morning, a hot shower, then compression socks under his tracksuit. “I don’t know whether all of this really makes my legs feel lighter, but it definitely gives me confidence.”

Still one of France’s rising hopes, the Puy-en-Velay native ran 29:03 for 10 km on the road in 2025, the 16th-fastest performance by a French U23 athlete of all time. He adapts his routine to the importance of the event. For a straightforward tune-up race, he sometimes adds or tests new elements. “If it works, I add them to my real routine.” These days, he no longer has particularly strong clothing superstitions. “At first, I needed to wear the same shorts and the same socks. Now it doesn’t matter anymore, although I like wearing my favourite kit for the most important day of the year: the Prom’Classic.”

© Louis Michel (Clermont Auvergne Athlétisme) © Larry shooting 63

Preparing for a race like a celebration

While some athletes repeat their routines to the letter, others prefer not to tie themselves down. Where Louis Michel relies on discipline, Louisa Esmouni (Montpellier Athletic Mediterranée Métropole) values flexibility. Selected twice for the French national team, at the European U23 Championships over 1500 m and the European Cross Country Championships, the Montpellier native is no stranger to major occasions. “I don’t have one fixed pre-race ritual, although there are things I often do to feel ready. I don’t want to tell myself that everything has to happen the same way every time in order to succeed.”

The athlete, whose 1500 m personal best is 4:12.54 (2025), repeats the same training weeks as the big day approaches, always keeping the same rest day and a similar final easy run before each meeting. The day before or on race day, the regular national podium finisher particularly enjoys writing her thoughts in a notebook to focus and picture herself in the race.

© Louisa Esmouni (Montpellier Athletic Mediterranée Métropole) © STADION-ACTU

Above all, her most cherished ritual is aesthetic. On race days, before stepping onto the red track or into unforgiving mud, Louisa Esmouni takes care with her appearance. “I like to feel beautiful for the event,” says the athlete, who is coached by her father, Rachid Esmouni. “It is important to me to take the time to get ready.” Taking the time to braid her hair is non-negotiable. “It is never the same hairstyle. Sometimes two braids, sometimes a braided bun. I like changing it up.” Beauty as a confidence-boosting suit of armour.

The mindset of a passionate competitor

Methodical without being completely rigid, Samuel Legat (Fac Andrézieux) takes care over his preparations. Running his final easy session exactly 24 hours before the event is part of it. “Sometimes that isn’t possible, but I don’t get hung up on it. For example, when I travel with my club to the French Cross Country Championships,” says the steeplechaser. In the final stages of his preparation, he also likes “confidence-building sessions”: shorter intervals run at target pace.

© Samuel Legat (Fac Andrézieux) © Larry shooting 63

Superstitions are everywhere among runners, and the Fac Andrézieux hopeful is no exception. Two jerseys hang in his wardrobe, one with his club’s old logo and the other with the new one. “I wore the first one when I got injured and didn’t perform well. Since then, I haven’t worn it at all, just in case the jersey was to blame,” jokes Thibaud Naël’s pupil. “There are also shorts that I save for races. I wear the ones that have worked well in the past. I had a great 2025 season, running 8:43.66 for the 3000 m steeplechase, always in the same adidas shorts.”

To reduce his nerves, the middle-distance runner relies on organisation. “I feel better when I get all my things ready in advance: my jersey, bib, shoes…” His diet is equally straightforward: he focuses on carbohydrate-rich foods while making sure to stay well hydrated.

More than his habits, it is his mindset that has changed. Long anxious before races, Samuel Legat has found a different way to view competition, especially when there is something at stake. Big events have helped him keep things in perspective. Calm has become a weapon.

 I realised how lucky I was to be starting alongside such accomplished athletes. I tell myself to make the most of it, because you never know whether you will get the chance to experience these moments again. I think about all the times I have been injured. Simply being on a starting line is incredible, and I savour it every time. Before, I was too overwhelmed. Now, this perspective allows me to push myself and stay calm. 

Meticulous preparation and visualisation

Being organised and disciplined is the key to avoiding tension. A three-time French national team selection, for the European Cross Country and Track Championships over 5000 m, Camille Place (EA St Quentin en Yvelines) relies on iron discipline. Specific nutrition, meticulous preparation: for the multiple French champion, everything is ready in advance. Her bag is packed, her warm-up kit and race-day outfit are carefully folded, and her spikes are checked. “I like everything to be in place. I aim for at least eight hours of sleep, although the pre-race nerves mean I don’t always manage it,” says the athlete.

© Camille Place (EA St Quentin en Yvelines) © STADION-ACTU

Before an important race, her alarm goes off at least five hours before the start so she can feel alert, even if that means getting up at dawn. “I do a 15-minute easy run to wake up my muscles, or I go for a walk while thinking through how the race will unfold. I eat five hours before the start and have a little more two or three hours beforehand.”

Following the same logic, the cross-country runner arrives early at the meeting venue. The Oyonnax native takes in her surroundings and the atmosphere. “I like to soak up the place and the atmosphere, walk around and get my bearings. Then I sit in the stands and visualise the battle.” The track runner, whose 5000 m personal best is 15:33 (2025), closes her eyes and imagines herself succeeding. Mental preparation is indispensable to her, right at the heart of the stadium’s buzz.

Her warm-up begins “a good hour” before the big moment, so she can be “relaxed.” Like many athletes, Cédric Beaurain’s pupil has her lucky charms.

 Even though my kit changes depending on the period, there are things that come with me every time, such as my hair tie and one particular sports bra. I have two or three pairs of earrings that I wear on big days. During cross-country season, if a particular item works well for me once, there is a good chance I will wear it again next time. 

Precise routines or consciously chosen freedom, every runner has their own way of taming pressure. But on the starting line, superstitious or not, only one truth matters: run, push beyond your limits and turn countless hours of training into something real at the end of a hard-fought battle.