The beautiful French alpine village of Samoens hosted a series of road + trail races in September 2024 – the first installment of Run & Fun du Giffre and the village’s first races following tragedy at June’s Ultra Trail du Haut Giffre. The races–a 10k, 7k, 5k, and kid’s runs–made for a festive, fun, and family-friendly weekend of activity.
Run & Fun du Giffre Races on offer
Many competitive runners opted for the ‘combo’, racing the 10k on Saturday evening, the 5k Sunday morning, and then the 7k Sunday afternoon. I chose to race the 5k, as I’m in the middle of a marathon build-up and the timing worked best to both race and get in a decent Sunday long run (between warmup, race, and an extended cool down). Picking up bibs was very smooth and easy on the Saturday and can also be done on the Sunday morning if you’re just racing on Sunday. No queues and friendly organizers.
The Run & Fun du Giffre 5k course
The course was relatively flat (officially 5.2km and 28m D+), with about 50% road and 50% trail, taking runners on gravel paths around Lacs aux Dames before winding back up to a finish in the Centre Ville. It’s downhill for the first half and uphill the second half, but all the descent and ascent is gradual – you notice it, but it’s never feels like climbing a hill. Due to the overnight rain, we were dodging or running through many puddles on the trails, but that’s life. There is one very sharp turn about halfway and a tight 90-degree turn 50m from the finish but otherwise it’s not too twisty-turny.
What’s the ‘fun’ all about?
The race featured some great surprises that added to the ‘fun’. A jazz band played while runners set off from Centre Ville, a drum corps welcomed runners to Lacs aux Dames, and bridge between the lakes was covered with colorful balloons, and the post-race food exceeded expectations (bread, sausage, dried fruit, juice, sweets). The organizers encouraged runners to come dressed up, though I didn’t notice many doing this. I swung by the kids race on my cool down and it seemed like a festive atmosphere. In terms of crowd, there were really only folks cheering at the start and the finish – more folks came out to cheer on the 10k runners Saturday evening than the 5k runners. I unfortunately couldn’t stick around for the 7k or the awards ceremony (4-year-old birthday party back home!)
My experience in the Run & Fun du Giffre 5k
In all, 70 runners participated in the Run & Fun du Giffre 5k, making it like a medium-sized Parkrun. With most of the top five runners participating in the ‘combo’ and saving their legs for the 7km a few hours later, I was alone out front the whole race after the first 400m or so. I won the race with an official time of 17:28. The course is definitely more than 5k, but not by too much.
My 4-year-old daughter would have loved to participate if they had had a Parent/Child fun-run for little kids. I’m sure they could have attracted other young kids with one or two shorter / more informal kids race options. That would be a great addition for next year!
Final thoughts on Run & Fun du Giffre
This is a great concept that I hope continues in the future. Samoens is a gem alpine village that more people should visit or come enjoy for the weekend. Early October is a nice time of year in the Giffre Valley, albeit much quieter than summertime and ski season.
Overall: 4.5 – more runners should come do this race!!
Vibe: 5 – music, great food at the finish, beautiful village, friendly organizers
Swag: 3.5 – free beer from the Brasserie du Giffre, great prizes for top finishers
Course: 4 – unique mix of road and trail, can be muddy in or after the rain
Competition: 2 – would be great to see more competitive runners coming next year!
Crowd: 3 – just some folks cheering at the start and finish
Value: 5 – signed up early for the 5k for just €6! The other races are also great value
Run to Lead 
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