2019 - ETC takes part in Ariane Cross within the ESA team
An ESA team with four ETC members took part in the 41st edition of the Ariane Cross organized by Avio on 28th September.
Following on from Spain, Belgium and Sweden in previous years, Italy this time provided the stage for the event which is the opportunity for teams from numerous launcher entities and firms to compete against one another.
Over 400 runners gathered on the Saturday morning to take part in three individual races (10 km, 5 km and 2.5 km),and the relay race. A swarm of children also set off for the traditional kids race, which always adds a charming touch to this sporting event.
Some 22 runners represented ESA this year, among whom Cédric, Arezki, Gandolfo and Caroline from ESTEC, all supported by ETC for the event. The ESA team consisted of 10 women and 12 men, aged 24 to 59, representing seven different nationalites and hailing from five establishments across Europe.
The small town of Fiuggi is set on a hill and there was a hot sun shining on that day… not quite the conditions we are used to when we train in the Noordwijk area! The races were really hard for most of us, but crossing the finish line always gives such a feeling of personal achievement! For Arezki, who works at ESTEC, it was a first. He pointed to “the team sporting challenge, where we trained for the event beforehand and gave it our all on the day! The Ariane Cross is a chance to meet people from other ESA centres and European companies; getting together outside the work context really helps to get to know one another”.
After the races and the big picnic with all the runners, there were local excursions and a tailormade tour of Avio which was greatly appreciated.
This year, the Agency came 11th in the team ranking (out of 25 teams) and there is strong motivation to do even better next year. ArianeGroup, as the overall winner this year, is looking forward to hosting the participants in the 42nd edition of the Ariane Cross… among which we hope there will be many members of ETC!
See you all in Bordeaux in 2020!
For a video: https://video.sky.it/sport/altri-sport/varie/video-ariane-cross-2019/v541428.vid