Ranging from 7 to 84 years old, runners gathered en masse on Sunday morning to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Prom’Classic. Braving the cold, the athletes smashed the attendance record, even surpassing the 5,500-participant limit set by the organizers. High-level athletes, as well as amateur sports enthusiasts who came to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the event, took to the pavement along the Nice waterfront. There was good humor and costumes for some, high performance for others. The victory went to Fatima Yvelain in the women’s category and Badre Ziani in the men’s. But beyond the results, this new edition was a success, and everyone found something to enjoy.
“A festive spirit”
After warming up with music, the 5,765 athletes, including more than 200 Italians, started around 10 am. They crossed the finish line under the eyes of Benoît Z, the European marathon record holder, half an hour later for the fastest, and an hour and a half after the starting gun for the last finishers. But that was not the main point, as Nice’s mayor Christian Estrosi confided to us, being there once again: “There is a festive spirit, everyone is equal, people don’t take themselves too seriously. Nice increases its sporting capital year after year. This Prom’Classic opens the year 2010 in the best possible way and I promise beautiful sporting surprises for this year.”
The results
In the women’s category, Fatima Yvelain won in 32’51, ahead of Christine Bardelle and Lauranne Picoche. A French triple win in the men’s category with Badre Ziani’s victory in 29’01, ahead of Loïc Letellier and Yohan Durand.
