Last weekend hundreds of athletic enthusiasts from across the Dordogne raced through Bergerac, raising money for charity in the athletic fashion the region is famous for.

250 people took part in a relay race through the gentle hills and valleys of the South Bergerac area of the Dordogne. This was the seventh consecutive year that Dordogne’s local athletics clubs have taken part in the fund-raising events occurring across France as part of the national Telethon.

The Telethon is an annual televised fundraising event that has been held in France since 1987. Across the country people pledge money to the programme or to local efforts held in support of the event. Money raised is dedicated to the French Association Against Myopathies, a muscular dystrophy charity.

One of the participants was Yoann Durand, a member of the French Athletics Team for the 2012 Olympics. Durand was born in Bergerac, and told Sud-ouest.com that he was racing for his younger cousin, Geoffrey Durand. Geoffrey, 11, lives in Bergerac and suffers from muscular dystrophy. The Durand relay team said that he was ‘at the heart’ of their team, and their efforts.

The race started at around four o clock on the Monbazillac hills outside Bergerac. From there spectators were said to have a ‘superb’ view across the countryside to the town itself, and of the progress of the race as it neared Bergerac.

Money raised from sponsorships for the race itself will be added to funds raised by t-shirt sales in the weeks leading up to the Telethon.

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