On 21 September, France Alzheimer once again made physical activity the central theme of its World Alzheimer’s Day celebrations by organising the third edition of the solidarity race “Memorun”. The turnout was fantastic, with more than 5,000 participants this year, as the association turned 40! The different races took place in the Bois de Vincennes in Paris. Four routes (three runs and one walk) were available to participants, among them people living with dementia, caregivers, people living in nursing homes who came with healthcare professionals by their sides, volunteers, corporate teams, members of the public, athletes...and more. France Alzheimer ambassador, triple Olympic champion Marie-José Pérec, was also there to give the start of each race and encourage runners to finish their race!
At the Memorun village site, visitors were also able to play table tennis or tennis, answer a quiz to learn more about the disease or take care of themselves with short appointments with an osteopath. More importantly, they had the opportunity to better understand the benefits of adapted physical activities by talking with people involved in health and sports initiatives. For this third edition, France Alzheimer innovated with a hybrid format: it was possible to join on-site in Vincennes or to take part remotely via the connected MEMORUN race! Thanks to a digital solution (OuiRace), people could also run or walk from home and actively contribute to the cause. 100% of the proceeds from this race are dedicated to Alzheimer’s research, to support association’s initiatives and to help people living with dementia and their caregivers.