Swimrun Côte Vermeille, the gem of the Pyrénées-Orientales

As the race progresses, the landscape scrolls and the sea changes color. Emblematic coastline of the Catalan territory, the Côte Vermeille was designed for the event. The decor is sumptuous with the crossing of the merchandise port of Cerbère, the rocky cove of Paulilles, the arcades and the crystal clear water in Banyuls and so many others. “The place was obvious to me,” says Sylvain Rousselat, co-creator of the Swimrun Côte Vermeille with Olivier Serra. Created in 2006 in Sweden, this discipline connects phases of running and swimming in white water, all disputed in pairs. “It is above all a race of sharing and friends”, explains Sylvain. Cap and swimming goggles on the head, running shoes on the feet, there will be 1100 participants, aged 10 to 71, to set off on 5 races: ranging from 4 to 63 kilometers.

In addition to the sporting event, the Swimrun Côte Vermeille is part of a sustainable development approach. “We cross 6 Natura 2000 sites, a marine park, a marine reserve…, explains Sylvain Rousset. In order to ensure the preservation of nature, we have, among other things, made 39 temporary ecological anchoring buoys, thus ensuring that the moorings are placed on sand and do not uproot Posidonia. » Still in this same dynamic, the organizers have established an immutable quota of bibs. “We have voluntarily limited the number of pairs to 120 over the 4 adult events that make up the event. This is one of the values ​​that we do not want to derogate from,” they point out. Because at the origin of this project, it is above all a human story, two friends, passionate about “sport-nature” and above all, lovers of nature and the Pyrénées-Orientales.

Additional information: https://www.swimruncotevermeille.com/