THE EDHEC raid is one of the most popular associations among business school students. It organizes, among other things, the eponymous event which brings together many students each year. Alexandre Marchegay, responsible for the Raid EDHEC course, an event which is celebrating its 28th anniversary this year, takes us to the heart of his association.
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Hi, I’m Alexandre Marchegay, 22 years old, student at EDHEC Business School in Nice and Course Manager of the XXVIIIe generation of the EDHEC Raid.
What is the EDHEC Raid?
Raid EDHEC is a student association of 50 members organizing a trail and two multisport raids. This year, the 28th and 29th generations are organizing the 6th trail du Soleil Levens in Nice, the 15e edition of the Aventuraid EDHEC, a 2-day multisport raid taking place in orientation in the forest of Fontainebleau, and on the 28e Raid EDHEC, founding event of the association, which is a multi-sport raid taking place in orientation in the Nice Alps for 5 days. It is intended for semi-professionals and professionals. During the Aventuraid EDHEC (450 participants) and the Raid EDHEC (120 participants), participants engage in 3 main disciplines: running, mountain biking and kayaking.
The EDHEC Raid is therefore 50 pairs of legs who give their all all year round to organize 3 events around three values: high standards, surpassing oneself and conviviality! Concretely, we do everything possible to ensure that participants have an unforgettable experience, and this especially involves the good atmosphere that competitors find each time at our events!
How to organize yourself during such a period?
So, that’s the €2,000 question! We must first be very efficient during our field trips: the famous “recos”, for route reconnaissance. They may be limited by confinements or by weather conditions, such as storm Alex for example. This means more preparation up front. Then, we had to adapt and start teleworking, in a way, to be able to work together. This requires more rigor but it works very well.
The most complicated thing during this period remains the uncertainty, the lack of information and the impossibility of seeing in the long term. As an organizer this really plays a role and is a real source of stress. It requires being very flexible and constantly adapting.
What rules do you put in place to respect health measures during events?
We scrupulously apply all government measures. This means presence of hydroalcoholic gel, wearing a mask, physical distancing. The departures of the participants are delayed, they do not all leave at the same time. Ravitos (refreshments) are removed and individual portions are made available to avoid contact between participants. It hurts our hearts to touch these little things that set us apart until now, but don’t worry, we’ll find other ways to set the mood!
Who do you work with to carry out these projects?
Above all, we work with service providers who are experts in their field. We are fortunate to have established long-standing relationships with some of them, which allows us to be able to count on them 100% on D-Day. Territorial administrations and local authorities are also essential for the organization of our events: prefecture, department, town hall of the municipalities through which we pass… EDHEC helps us greatly by making certain things possible: loan of premises and equipment, development of our schedules, and presence at our events.
What new things do you bring each year?
For the EDHEC raidour flagship and founding event, we change location every year. We try to explore new places and offer new activities to participants to show them the country. Each edition is in fact unique and different!
We seek to be innovative in our events. On the EDHEC raidwe try every year to be a qualifying round for the French Raid Championships and that’s the case again this year! On the Aventuraid EDHECwe created an internal competition which allows schools and universities to compete in a separate ranking: the Schools Trophy.
Respect for the environment is essential for us. On the Trail du Soleil Levens, we decided to stop using disposable plastic tape and switch to reusable fabric tape. We also received the “Sustainable development, sport is committed” label, which was given to us by the CNOSF for the 5e times this year.
Article written by Thomas Soulié, press relations manager at Raid EDHEC
