- Considering it “unsustainable” not to do so for two consecutive years, they have decided to take to the streets the race in favor of the Ar Redadeg Breton, complying with strict sanitary measures. Based on the Korrika of the Basque Country, the initiative began in Brittany in 2008.
Thousands of people participate every two years in Ar Redadeg to promote the Breton. Last year was cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis, but the organizers have decided to do so this year, as not doing so for the second consecutive year would be “unsustainable”.
The initiative has become a key element in financing breton projects. By selling the kilometers of the race to individuals, agents, institutions and companies, they receive a financial contribution that in the last edition raised more than 130,000 euros. For this reason, and because of its “symbolic and media” importance, they have decided to maintain the career.
The witness will travel the whole geography of Brittany for a week until he reached Gwengamp on 29 May. In total, a tour of 2,020 kilometers will be arranged, leaving in Urduliz.
But to do so, the race must comply with stringent security measures. In this way, the witness will continuously move to the front van, rather than by hand, and no other events that are usually organised during the race will take place. At night you will not be able to run, but those who buy kilometres at night will be able to take the kilometre of day and those who cannot run.
“We are stubborn and we have enough energy to try to overcome these uncompromising difficulties,” they explained in the full wave of the pandemic in a demonstration in favour of the referendum held in March in Quimpere, Western Brittany, in Ar Redadeg. On 3 April the coordination group unanimously decided to maintain the organisation: “Even fewer kilometers will be sold, but they will be enough to demonstrate our effort and mobilization (…) we will show that we have energy, like the one that has the strength to live our language.”
In Karaez, at the point of departure of the witness, an afternoon programme has been organized with visits, round tables and animation. The race will start at 18:00.
The base of the Korrika
The Ar Redadeg career began in 2008 and was based on the Korrika held in Euskal Herria. This first race ran 600 kilometers from Nantes to Karaez.
As explained by AEK-Korrika, in this year’s edition they will participate in the Breton initiative and have bought a kilometer to run on Friday 28 with “their sister”.