CERN Relay Race

The CERN relay race, now in its 39th year, is already a well-known tradition, but this year the organizers say the event will have even more of a festival feeling.

For the past few years, spectators and runners at the CERN relay race have been able to enjoy a beer while listening to music from the CERN music and jazz clubs. But this year the organizers are aiming for "even more of a festival atmosphere". As David Nisbet, President of the CERN running club and organizer of the relay race, says: "Work is not just about getting your head down and doing the theory, it’s also about enjoying the company of your colleagues."

This year, on top of music from the Santa Luis Band and the Canettes Blues Band, there will be demonstrations from the Aikido and softball clubs, a stretching session by the Fitness club, as well as various stalls and of course, the well-earned beer from AGLUP, the Belgian beer club.

"To help encourage teamwork right across CERN, this year there will also be a prize for the best represented department. We’ll calculate the percentage of each department that takes part and the highest will win a trophy," says Olivier Barrière, event coordinator for the CERN running club and one of the principal race organizers. "For the past two years we have also had a mixed category – for teams with at least two female members – to make it easier for women to get involved."

As well as the inter-department challenge, the top three teams from the 6 different categories will all receive prizes, presented by the Director-General. The 2009 race will take place on Thursday 14th May starting at 12:15. For details about the race and how to register a team, click here:

https://espace.cern.ch/Running-Club/CERN-Relay/default.aspx