Blackmouths Race 2027

Put away the helmet and headlamp: for once, the black mouths are coming up to the surface to run! ⛑️

Head to La Ricamarie, a former mining town in the Loire nestled in the Ondaine Valley, a short quarter-hour from Saint-Étienne 🚗 . This town in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is one of the gateway cities to the Pilat Regional Natural Park, enough to offer you lush green paths without forcing you onto the ridgelines of the massif 🌲 . The race takes place in late January, right when most runners are still hesitating to leave the comforter 🛋️ . At nearly 600 m altitude, the thermometer readily flirts with zero ❄️ .

At the Course des Gueules Noires, the setting blends nature and mining heritage 🏞️ . The start is at the Caintin sports complex, then you set off for 5 km or 10 km of trail (the organizer rather calls it a nature run), mostly on paths 🥾 . The 10 km is run in two 5 km loops on a gentle profile: 164 mD+ on the clock and an altitude between 588 m and 648 m, i.e., barely 60 m of difference between the lowest and highest point of the course 📈 . A few bumps will still remind your thighs that you’re running on rolling terrain, with a panoramic view over the valley as a bonus 👀 . The highlight of these ten kilometers, the route offers a view of the Puits des Combes, the last headframe of La Ricamarie, completed in 1950 and listed as a historic monument 🏗️ . Beneath your soles, generations of miners extracted coal down to nearly 470 m deep 🔦 . Then it’s back under the finish arch to complete your race, short of breath and smiling 🏁 . Want to discover the trails without aiming for the ten kilometers? The 5 km, with its 67 mD+, takes one loop of the 10 km and opens the doors to nature running gently 🐣 . You’ll get a taste of the Gueules Noires spirit without going into the red, before signing up for the 10 km the following year! 😉

Organized by ACO Firminy, the athletics club of the neighboring town, the Course des Gueules Noires has been enlivening the local calendar for years 🏅 . Might as well answer the call of the Appelous, the nickname of the inhabitants of Firminy! 📞 With their moderate elevation gain, the 5 km as well as the 10 km will appeal as much to the road runner curious to sample the paths as to the experienced trail runner looking for a comeback outing 🔄 .

Once you’ve crossed the line, head to Saint-Étienne to extend the dive into the history of the coalfield at the Mine Museum, housed in the former Puits Couriot 🏭 . A soccer fan? The Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium, aka the Chaudron, awaits you on the other side of the city! ⚽ For recovery, forget energy drinks and bet on the local terroir 🧀 : a slice of Fourme de Montbrison, a nicely browned râpée, or a slice of bread with sarasson. You burned calories on the trails, so you might as well get them back at the table! 😋

Fill your lungs and come prove you’ve got what it takes to be a true black mouth… open-air style! 🌬️