Mont St. Michel’s Race Against The Sea
Missed the London Marathon? Come to Mont St Michel in Normandy
May 28th sees 5,000 runners set off from Concale to run a marathon around the Baie du Mont St. Michel for a race against the sea to arrive at the famous Abbey before they get their feet wet. With the Mont St. Michel in view from the start of the race this is a fast and flat course but one run against the incoming tide. As anyone will know, who has visited this stunning monument, when the tide comes in across the mud/sand flats it doesn’t do it slowly so for any runner wanting to cross the 1 kilometre of sands to reach the monument before the tide rushes in, time for this course is really of the essence. This is probably one of the most attractive marathon courses and, perhaps, one of the easiest. Not that I am a judge of that being a frequent spectator but never a runner! If you are thinking of buying a house in Normandy then this could be on your list of activities for next year!
The magic of Mont St. Michel
Mont St. Michel has been a site of pilgrimage for more than 1300 years when, in the year 708, a sanctuary to the archangel was set there. Runners in this year’s marathon will be guided by the newly gilded angel as they look to the heavens for help in the last few kilometres of the race. In it’s time the Abbey, at the top of the Mont, has been used as a place of pilgrimage, a fortress and a prison. Sitting 80 metres above the sea it still serves as an Abbey with its beautiful cloisters and wonderful interior but is nowadays a tremendous tourist attraction. There is now a road which remains above sea level when the tide comes in so unfortunately you can no longer have the magical experience of being stranded there waiting for the tide to go out. I advise anyone who wants to enjoy this beautiful and mystical spot in Normandy to get there really early in the morning before the coaches arrive to disgorge hundreds of camera clicking tourists. It’s worth setting your alarm for and if you own a house in Normandy you can pick a really quiet moment if the year for your visit.
Healey Fox have a good selection of attractive properties for sale in Normandy
