Races in Lille

Your Lille adventure kicks off with an urban trail through the Vieux-Lille, with its cobbled streets and Flemish houses. You’ll be able to zigzag between belfries, little squares, and the famous red-brick houses—symbols of northern France. You’ll have plenty of time to discover all the iconic spots of the “Capital of Flanders,” like the Old Stock Exchange, the Palais des Beaux-Arts, the Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral, the Palais Rihour, the former Fort Saint-Sauveur, and the Villa Cavrois (on the outskirts). A detour via the Place Charles-de-Gaulle, native of Lille, the Grand’ Place, and the star-shaped Vauban Citadel is also a must to soak up the ch’ti vibe. For festive extras, Lille delivers! The huge flea market brings together up to 3 million people on the first Sunday of September, and tasting moules-frites is simply a must-do! The Art Up festival, bringing together 750 artists, is a major moment for contemporary art lovers, as is the trendy Moulins district. 

Let’s continue with a bit of general culture! If Lille is called that, it’s because the city used to be an island (Maldives-style 🇲🇻), surrounded by the Deûle wood. You can imagine there will be little nature corners for you to indulge in running! The Vauban Garden (south of the citadel), as well as the Citadel Park right next door which, with its 110-hectare Bois de Boulogne (which has nothing to envy Paris’s 🤗), offers loops to run in the fresh air, with the zoo as your training neighbor. Parc Barbieux (located in Roubaix, but an integral part of Lille Métropole) and the Deûle peri-urban park, where you can run along the towpaths of the river of the same name, will offer you an escape to lengthen your stride. While Lille has few green spaces on average (25m2 per inhabitant compared to the national average of 50m2), the metropolitan area still has suitable places to train—Parc du Héron (in Villeneuve d'Ascq) with its 100 hectares of water, greenery, and trails is recommended.

And after training, it will be high time for you to pin on a bib for the races that take place all year round. Before you head to the start line, don’t forget to stroll through the aisles of the Wazemmes market, and stock up on vitamins! The race calendar in Lille is packed with the Brader’y and its half-marathon, the urban trail, the Foulées lilloises, the Citadel races, and the Trail des remparts Lillois—events that are not only very renowned but also known for their friendliness. 

And after you’ve worked up a sweat, you’ll be able to feast on a welsh, a fricadelle, a Méert vanilla waffle (General de Gaulle’s favorite), and a good local beer. And yes, the North is of course a land of beers 🍻 !

If you still have a bit of time ahead of you, take the opportunity to explore all the treasures of the region! You can first visit Roubaix and its swimming pool, Lens and its Louvre Museum (and what if you signed up for the Route du Louvre while you’re at it?), or the magnificent villages scattered around like Maroilles (yessss you’ll be able to taste the famous cheese). For even more adventure, you can absolutely head to the Opal Coast about a hundred kilometers away!