The two communities of Monéteau - Sougères / Frankreich and Föhren have been twinned for more than 30 years. In the course of the year, friendly encounters between the inhabitants of the two communities take place again and again through the various activities and events of the respective local associations.
Every year we take part in the half marathon in Monéteau (Info on Facebook) (Semi-Marathon de Monéteau de l'Amitié et des Villes Jumelées) in large numbers with runners and interested people from Föhren and the surrounding area. The event always takes place on the last Sunday in April.
Trip to Monéteau 2026
This year’s trip to the 31st Monétau Half Marathon took place on 25 and 26 April. We set off from Föhren at 7.15 am on Saturday, heading for France, and stopped off in Schweich, where the rest of the passengers joined us.
Our first major stop was in L'Épine, where the traditional breakfast, themed ‘Share Your Breakfast’, took place at the Basilique Notre-Dame de L'Épine. After a hearty breakfast, we continued our journey to Troyes. We spent around an hour there, during which the participants were able to explore the picturesque alleyways or the market halls with their wide range of products, including cheese, vegetables, meat and fish, as well as chocolate and pralines, or enjoy a drink in one of the many restaurants and cafés on the town hall square.
Our first major stop was in L'Épine, where the traditional breakfast, themed ‘Share Your Breakfast’, took place at the Basilique Notre-Dame de L'Épine. After a hearty breakfast, we continued our journey to Troyes. We spent around an hour there, during which the participants were able to explore the picturesque alleyways or the market halls with their wide range of products, including cheese, vegetables, meat and fish, as well as chocolate and pralines, or enjoy a drink in one of the many restaurants and cafés on the town hall square.
After the wine tasting, we continued our journey towards Monétau, which was still 20 minutes away. First, the participants staying at the hotel were dropped off, after which the host families were able to welcome their guests. At 7.30 pm, the traditional pasta party began, accompanied, as every year, by music from the well-known two-man band (drums, guitar, kazoo, vocals). As the start of the 5 km race on Sunday was scheduled for 8.30 am and the half marathon an hour later, many runners had already turned in by around 10 pm.
Sunday morning got off to an early start for everyone. The participants began the day with a breakfast of varying sizes at the hotel or with their host families. We then made our way to the start line, where, as we do every year, we set up our ‘base camp’ in the Galerie d’Art. The runners in the 5 km race set off on time at 8.30 am. At 9.15 am, we met for a group photo in front of the city library, before the half-marathon runners and walkers set off at 9.30 am.
The traditional awards ceremony took place at Skenet’Eau from 12.30 pm and was once again hosted by Daniel Crene this year. In the half marathon, Martin Müller was delighted to finish in the top ten and Annika Pfeiffer in the top fifteen. Both were also honoured as the best female and male German runners respectively, and the entire delegation from Föhren received the traditional wine hamper.
To round things off, we went for lunch with our French friends, where we had a chance to look back on the time we’d spent together and chat about this and that.
At 3.30 pm, it was time to say goodbye. The send-off at the bus was a little shorter this time and involved a smaller group, but of course we couldn’t miss out on the traditional farewell song.
The return journey was a bit quieter – after all, most of us had had a tiring day of walking. Uli acted as cupbearer, so a few bottles from the wine selection were emptied. During a stopover, we ate the leftovers from the provisions we’d brought with us. Thus fortified, we continued our journey. We arrived in Schweich at around 8.15 pm. The participants who had boarded there got off the bus, and at 8.30 pm the 2026 Monéte trip came to an end for the rest of us in Föhren.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our French friends once again for their hospitality and for organising everything. We felt as welcome as if we were visiting friends.
