SaintéLyon Relais 3

SaintéLyon Relais 3

The organiser describes it as the more unusual relay, with a long first leg of more than 30 km. That runner takes the team out of Saint-Étienne, past the first aid station at Saint-Christo-en-Jarez at km 17 and well into the night before anyone takes over. The exact leg lengths and changeover points are not yet published.

The course has the main race’s aid stations: Saint-Christo-en-Jarez (km 17), Sainte-Catherine (km 32), Le Camp-Saint-Genou (km 46, drinks only), Soucieu-en-Jarrest (km 60) and Chaponost (km 67). The cut-offs are clock times — 04:00, 07:00, 09:30, 12:00, 13:30 and finally 16:00 in Lyon at km 82. The team must be complete; runner swaps are made online in advance, never on site.

With a long first leg, two teammates wait a long time. With the Livebib link they see where their runner is on the line, how far she has come and an estimated arrival that keeps updating. In the dark and the woods the phone sometimes loses signal; the position is then carried forward along the course and marked as estimated instead of stopping. The link opens in any browser.