Around 5,000 people will take part this Sunday, September 6, in a race through the streets of Paris that will cover ten kilometers, passing by a dozen Catholic churches and ending at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre. The initiative, organized by Holy Games, will be held less than three weeks before the arrival of Leo XIV in France, and its promoters also present it as a spiritual preparation for the Pontiff’s visit.
The so-called Paris Églises Tour reaches its third edition this year and will feature the participation of four representatives from Athletica Vaticana. The event was born within the sports initiatives promoted by the Church in France around the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, combining sport, religious heritage, and activities of a spiritual nature.
Ten kilometers and ten churches in Paris
The race will start at 8:45 a.m. in front of the church of Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal, in Paris’s 16th district, and will finish at the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre. The ten-kilometer course is certified by the French Athletics Federation and runs through various points in the center of the French capital.
Runners will pass near Saint-François-de-Molitor, Notre-Dame-d’Auteuil, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce de Passy, Saint-Pierre-de-Chaillot, Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, Saint-Augustin, Saint-André-de-l’Europe, Sainte-Rita, and Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre before reaching Sacré-Cœur.
The organization has also planned a five-kilometer walk, starting from Saint-Pierre-de-Chaillot and also finishing in Montmartre. This modality is free and open to participants of all ages, while the ten-kilometer race has an entry fee of 25 euros.
Among the participants will be professional and Paralympic athletes, amateurs, families, and people with physical and intellectual disabilities. The organization also provides joëlettes, adapted chairs that allow participants to complete the course with the help of others.
Blessing of bibs, rosary, and Mass in Montmartre
The religious dimension will accompany the event throughout the day. Holy Games has organized a Mass this Saturday afternoon at Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal, during which the bibs will be blessed. On Sunday, once the race is over, another Mass will be offered at 11:00 a.m. at the Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
Participants will also be able to leave prayer intentions upon their arrival in Montmartre. According to information released by the organizers, some runners have announced that they will pray the rosary during the race.
Vatican News also reports that each participant will receive a Miraculous Medal, linked to the apparitions of the Virgin to Saint Catherine Labouré on Rue du Bac in Paris. The winners of the men’s and women’s categories will receive an Athletica Vaticana T-shirt as a prize.
The race was originally scheduled for May 31 but was postponed to September 6. The new date has placed the third edition of the Paris Églises Tour right in the middle of preparations for the visit of Leo XIV.