Les Foulées Thillaysiennes

Les Foulées Thillaysiennes is a road race organised by the town of Le Thillay, in the Val-d'Oise department north of Paris, in partnership with the local running club, the Thillay Running Athletic Club. First held in 2025 on a late-June morning, the event has since moved to mid-October. It is registered with the French athletics federation and aims to be sporty, festive and charitable all at once: entry fees are donated to a charity chosen by the town that works to open up sport to people with disabilities.

The adult programme consists of two chip-timed distances that start together at 10 a.m. The 5 km follows a loop through the town's streets with only about 50 metres of climbing. The 10 km covers the same circuit twice, so the first lap is a chance to learn the corners and the gentle rises, and the second to settle into a pace on familiar ground. The 5 km is open to runners aged 15 and over, the 10 km to those aged 17 and over. If more than 125 people enter either distance, the organisers may send off a second wave fifteen minutes later.

The afternoon belongs to children and families. Four youth races, from 450 m to 2.2 km, are split by age group between 5 and 13 years old, with no parents allowed on the course except for children with a disability, and every young finisher receives a medal. Late in the day, the family race covers 2.2 km in two laps, with parents and children running side by side in a festive rather than competitive mood. Prizes go to the top three in each children's race, the first three families and the men's and women's podiums over 5 and 10 km.

The start is on the shore of the lake in Le Thillay, on Avenue du Maréchal-Bessières. This green lakeside area, a favourite spot for local walkers, serves as the meeting point for the whole day. The town sits in the Plaine de France between Gonesse and Goussainville, a few kilometres from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, and its flat, open suburban setting gives the course a fast profile.

With short distances and hardly any climbing, the race suits first-timers just as well as club runners looking for a 10 km benchmark. Runners are largely self-sufficient: there is a drinks station halfway round the 10 km, at the 5 km mark, and refreshments at the finish for every race. A medical team with a doctor, first-aiders and nurses is on hand throughout.

Bibs can be collected at the town hall, 21 rue de Paris, on the Friday and Saturday before the race, then on Sunday morning at the start area until two hours before your race begins. An athletics licence or the French PPS health questionnaire is required, and photo ID may be requested. Entries are taken online and also on the day, up to two hours before the start.