The 3rd Poste – Relay at 2
Thuesday 6 July 2027
7:15 pm
2 refreshments
Fee
From 26€ to 30€ (by team)
THE 3rd POSTE – RELAY OF 2 RUNNERS
Bus service from Grenoble in partnership with the Département de l’Isère!
See the “Practical information” section below for full details.
The 3rd Poste relay: two runners on the trail of the mines
A race created for the 20th anniversary of the mines’ closure
In 2017, the Matheysine plateau marked 20 years since the end of mining. So, the TPM created a new race to take you along the trail of this local epic. Since it was one of the highlights of the 2017 edition, the organisers bring it back.
You run the 3rd Poste as a 2-runner relay. Moreover, you share the distance with your teammate and pass the 3 mine shafts still visible today.
Relay 1: from Prunières to the Villaret shaft
First, the first runner starts in Prunières, at the foot of the Rioux shaft. Then he or she climbs above La Mure and passes through La Mure station. There, the runner follows the famous Petit Train de La Mure railway. Incidentally, it became a tourist attraction in the 1980s, even before the mine closed!
Next, the railway leads to the Villaret shaft in Susville and the coal depot. Once, workers stored the ore there before loading it onto wagons. Those wagons ran down the line between 1888 and 1988. Here, the relay handover takes place.
Relay 2: along the Sénépi slopes to La Mine Image
After that, the second runner climbs the Sénépi slopes. So, he or she runs past old gallery entrances. The runner also overlooks many miners’ hamlets: Le Villaret, La Centrale, Peychagnard and Le Crey. Besides, the runner passes the Centrale pond. The power station there produced electricity from coal residues.
Finally, the second runner reaches the finish at the 3rd shaft: the Sainte Marie shaft. It stands at the underground museum La Mine Image, in La Motte-d’Aveillans.
TRAIL RACE
Find all the details of the route of the 3rd Poste by clicking on the link below:
The natural spaces we are working on and the people who are taking care of those lands and territories, which you will be crossing for the race, are factors we do not control 100%. Therefore, we sometimes have to make changes to our different routes, which can slightly modify the distance and/or the altitude difference. This distance and altitude difference is therefore given as an indication.
Practical information
| TIME AND DEPARTURE | 7:15 pm in Prunières (next to the mine well) on Thuesday 6 July 2027 |
| ARRIVAL | « La Mine Image » Museum, in La Motte d’Aveillans |
| DISTANCE | 16 km – Relay 1 : 7 km and 300 m d+ – Relay 2 : 9 km and 400 m d+ |
| ALTITUDE | 700 m elevation gain |
| REFRESHMENT STATION | – km 7 : Susville Well – Arrival As a reminder, the personal cup is mandatory and no cups will be distributed at the refreshment stations (course or arrival). |
| FINISH LINE CLOSURE | – At the refreshment station in Susville (km 7) at 8:40 pm – At the Col de la Festinière (km 13) at 10:15 pm – At the arrival at 10:45 pm |
| COLLECTION BIBS | – Saturday, July 3: in the Môle located 200 m from the Mayres Savel beach from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Sunday, July 4: at La Mure train station from 6:00 am to 8:30 am – Tuesday, July 6: at La Motte d’Aveillans (La Mine Image museum) from 4:30 pm to 6:15 pm |
| REGISTRATION FEES | – 26€ for the first 25 teams – 30€ for the remaining teams |
| AGE REQUIREMENT | To be born in 2011 or before |
| PRIZE GIVING CEREMONY | In La Motte d’Aveillans (La Mine Image Museum) at 10:00 pm |
| EQUIPMENT | – Mandatory equipment: personnal cup + 0,5L tank of water + survival blanket + fully charged cell phone + head torch – Recommended equipment: food supply + whistle + waterproof jacket – Tolerated equipment: telescopic poles (must be folded at the departure) |
| INSTRUCTIONS | No locker service, neither in Prunières at the beginning, nor in La Motte d’Aveillans |
SHUTTLES TO THE START IN PRUNIÈRES  | A / Bus service: Grenoble → Prunières in partnership with the Département de l’Isère (5€/pers) A bus service will take participants: – From Grenoble city centre, departing at 5:10 pm from Place Victor Hugo – From Pont-de-Claix, departing at 5:30 pm from the “L’Étoile” bus stop (Tram A terminus) These buses will leave directly for the start in Prunières, where you will be able to pick up your bibs before the start of the race. For participants in the relay race, the same bus will drop off the 2nd relay runners (Susville – La Mine Image section) directly at Susville, after passing through Prunières. These same buses will wait until the end of the race to depart from the finish site at La Mine Image, – First departure: around 10:15 pm / 10:30 pm as soon as the bus is full in the direction of Grenoble, with a stop in Pont-de-Claix. – Second departure: at around 11:10 pm for the last participants heading for Grenoble, with a stop in Pont-de-Claix. Reservations can be made online until Monday June 21 at 9:00 am. After that, subject to availability. B / Bus service: La Mine Image → Prunières (5€/pers) A bus service will take participants to the start in Prunières from the La Mine Image museum, where bib collection and the finish will take place. The bus will leave La Mine Image at 6:15 pm. Reservations can be made online until Monday June 21 at 9:00 am. After that, subject to availability. C / Booking these services These services must be booked when you register online at the rate of 5€ per person. Only ONE choice. |
SHUTTLE BUS FOR TO RELAYS (INCLUDED IN YOUR REGISTRATION) | The organisers will provide a transport service to help relay runners get from the finish site to their relay point. The service will operate as follows: – 6:45 pm: departure of the bus from La Mine Image, bound for the relay point in Susville, for relay runners n°2. – Once they have finished their race, relay runner n°1 (Prunières → Susville section) will be taken by bus from Susville to the finish at La Mine Image. The bus will leave depending on how full it is. No booking is necessary for these shuttles for relay runners. Your bib number will serve as a pass. |
