Eric Morel, Digi Mart USA News (Nice, France): Running has never been, in his eyes, a headlong pursuit or a quest for perfection. Rather, it is an intimate, almost indescribable sensation, exhilarating and close to a feeling of freedom, in which the rhythm of his strides and the rush of breath briefly lift him from the noise of the world.
At 53, Éric Morel is about to open a new chapter in a singular story. On Sunday he will start his 18th Nice-Cannes marathon.
Eighteen editions, and seventeen finish lines already crossed, reflect a loyalty that commands respect and a consistency built on a deeply rooted passion.
Yet he only seriously took up running as he approached his thirties. Born in Aindin, he settled on the Côte d’Azur in 1999 for work.
“The setting makes you want to run, and running is an easy sport to access: you can go whenever you have a little time, and it doesn’t require much equipment. I started that way, with friends,” he says.
He adds with a touch of humor that he was not starting from scratch, since he already had some natural endurance.
Before his first Alpes-Maritimes marathon, he had already run races in France and abroad, and in the following years he tackled several major events, including the New York City Marathon, where he set a personal best of 3:03.
Nearly two decades later, he compares the race to a televised survival contest, describing a rivalry with the other 17 surviving finishers of the first edition to see who will keep the torch burning longest. His outlook, however, has changed little.
“I never imagined I would reach 18 participations. The hardest part is being available on the day.
This Sunday I had to skip a friend’s birthday party.”
He says the sacrifice will feel worthwhile if he completes the 42.195 kilometers. He has been hampered by a thigh injury, a small strain sustained during a vigorous training session with his son in a different sport, which he is managing as he prepares.
For Morel, running also means exploring landscapes, climbing terrain and discovering rugged trails. Trail running offers that perspective, and he appreciates the different demands of the two disciplines: marathons require steady endurance, while trails demand uphill effort, focus on descents and careful footing.
“The landscapes here are simply magnificent.”
He also promotes the 26th Esclap’à l’œil race organized by his club on June 12 in Cipières, described as the department’s first free race, offering 10, 20 and 30 kilometer routes along with a children’s event. For him, the goal is to keep sharing the sport and passing it on.
The 18th Alpes-Maritimes marathon starts from the Promenade des Anglais in Nice this Sunday from 8 a.m., in four waves through 9:15 a.m.
