Interview - Johann Regnier - Feedback on the 2021 half-marathon

Johann side by side with Jean Theurel (winner of the 2021 marathon) on the Route des Grands Crus

Hello Johann, can you introduce yourself in a few words ?

I'm 35 years old, I'm from Langres and I've been living in Dijon since 2012! I am a TER driver in Dijon, and I practice a little bit of all sports since I was young (soccer and tennis). Then I started triathlon but I'm mainly focused on trail and mountain bike!

Why did you choose to run the Grands Crus half-marathon ?

I ran the half-marathon by chance, having won a race number thanks to a contest organized on Virgin Radio.

Did you prepare yourself specifically for this half-marathon ?

Not at all! I had done a 54km trail and 4000D+ in Chamonix 14 days before the Grands Crus half-marathon, so I did an "express preparation" over 10 days.

Can you describe us the pre-race ?

The day before, some friends came from Neuf-Château to do the semi, we took advantage of the Saturday evening to meet and after a short night, we went to the start at Allées du Parc. It was still dark but we already felt a certain atmosphere, it was great! Everything was done to get the numbers without worrying about where to go.

How did you find the atmosphere before the start ? What was your state of mind ? Are you more of a competitor or were you just coming to have fun ?

I wasn't stressed at all because I had only done a half marathon in 2013. I didn't prepare for it so I went without pressure... I'm a competitor at heart but I never put pressure on myself: I never have a training plan, everything is based on feeling and above all on pleasure... I never force myself to do anything.

How did the race go ?

I had set myself a goal of 1h21 or 3'50 per km, but during my 10-day preparation I felt that I could do much better, so I decided to race by feel.

It didn't start very fast, with dozens of runners in front. I quickly settled down to a pace of 3'36/km. I found myself with the winner of the marathon from the 2nd kilometer, I pulled him at this pace all the half, so that made me surpass myself a little and we caught all the competitors one by one...except the 1st of the half-marathon who had started strong and had managed his effort well. I finished 3rd in this half-marathon...a place I had not even imagined before the start!

The course was nice with small bumps, pace changes and restarts, all in the beautiful colors of the fall vineyards and under a beautiful sun. All along the course, volunteers and athletes I knew encouraged me, it was great.

The group of runners in the middle of the golden vineyards

What did you feel when you crossed the finish line ?

A huge surprise when I saw the ranking, and a pride to finish the race in front of my sweetheart who came to the finish line and was as surprised as I was about my result!

What did you like most about the event ?

The color of the vineyards and the hilly course...too bad I couldn't enjoy the festive refreshments except at the finish of course!

What do you remember about your experience ?

That without preparation, no pressure and results..

In one word, how would you sum up the Marathon des Grands Crus?

Un bon cru ! (A good vintage!)

Do you have any advice for runners who have never participated and who are hesitating to start ?

You have to go for it, you can't imagine how your body can go beyond.