“I didn’t do any sports, especially not running, and I became addicted”

It is the Holy Grail, almost a pilgrimage, for many running lovers: participating in the famous New York marathon. It takes place on Sunday 3 November and attracts thousands of participants every year, including 10,000 foreigners. One of them is from Soisson and is actively preparing to set foot on the streets of New York.

Running for Gilles has become a way of life. So on the night before the flight for the New York marathon, his work in this restaurant in Soissons feels like warmth. “A little, yes agreement, There is a lot of training with the service, which helps many achieve good times. It is the first marathon before the next one.“

The bad stuff will be there for Sunday, November 3. Gilles has to run 42.195 kilometers on the streets of New York in the United States. At 55, this resident of Crouy in Aisne trains without weight, but hard: four sessions a week for three months. “We think a lot, we do a lot of preparation, we choose our routes for training, it’s a very hard preparation, but a good score is necessary“, he explains.

I sometimes run in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening when I come home from work.

Gilles, a running enthusiast

A passion for racing that was born just 11 years ago. Since then, Gilles has made up for it. Already in 2018, he finished the New York marathon in 3 hours 26 minutes, then Berlin, London, Chicago and others…”I didn’t do any sports, especially not running, and then you’re addicted. I sometimes go there in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening when I come home from work.”

A few days before his second participation, the marathon runner says that he is impatient, that the magic of the prestigious New York event is still working. “Every landscape is amazing, the atmosphere, an orchestra, almost every kilometer, an orchestra is singing songs, music, it’s really an amazing atmosphere.“

Gilles believes he is in his best shape while New York extends its arms to him. The athlete is already planning to run on the Great Wall of China and even in Greenland.

Marathons

From September 10, 2024 to January 31, 2025