Fête de l’Escalade: Historical and Active

By Reza Murfi, Y12

Last weekend, the Fête de l’Escalade was run, and many students from LGB participated in the event. We talked to two runners from LGB: Jacob Mansfield (Cadets B 2004-2005) & Quentin Trolliet (Cadets A 2002-2003), to talk about their experiences with the Escalade. 

Do you run the Escalade more for the history or more for the running aspects?

Q: I have run it every year of my life, and I do it to represent Geneva.

J: I run it more for the sake of running.

Do you celebrate the Escalade with your family?

Q: Yes, my family celebrates it as well. We are very much attached to the event.

J: We celebrate the Escalade but we don’t do much beyond the Marmite and going to see the parade.

Would you recommend the Escalade to other people?

Q: Yes I recommend it: to represent Geneva and for fun.

J: I’d recommend it to others but only if you’re into running or really want to; the weather is usually terrible. Other than that, it’s pretty cool, because it brings all of Geneva together.

What’s your favorite part about the race?

Q: My favorite part is at the end when I finished, because running is arduous. I also enjoy when they give amazing petit-pain, delicious chocolate milk, and presents.

J: I like the start where everyone is crowded together and vibing.

Did you run it with other people you know?

Q: Some friends were in the same race as me, but I wasn’t running with them (I destroyed them all!)

J: I don’t run it with other people because it’s hard to find them in the crowd, and not many want to, but you do occasionally spot friends during the race.

Does the Escalade make you feel like a true Genevois?

Q: Yes, if you want to be Genevois, you have to run the Escalade (We beat the Savoyards)

J: It’s fun and unites most of Geneva but I don’t feel like it has enough historical grounding to be a really big part of Geneva culture. The race is much less Genevois than the actual parade and Marmites and whatnot.

We thank Jacob and Quentin for giving up their time to talk with the LGB Express and sharing their thoughts on the Escalade.