Course a Paolina

Course a Paolina is a 70 km road race in Haute-Corse, running from the port of L'Ile-Rousse to Morosaglia, the home village of Pascal Paoli. It is usually held in late September and is structured as a point-to-point effort rather than a loop. The route climbs significantly for a road race, with about 1,800 meters of ascent and a little over 900 meters of descent between the sea and the Corsican mountains. The race follows the story of Paoli's ashes being brought back from England to Corsica and carried from L'Ile-Rousse toward Morosaglia. The A Paolina association was created a century after that return to keep the episode alive through sport. Runners can do the full distance solo, share it in relay teams, or enter the run-and-bike format, broadening the field beyond a standard ultra start line. Jogging International once listed it among the 50 most beautiful races in the world, but the stronger pull is the mix of a long mountain road effort and a very local piece of Corsican history.