Fit to race note- Alps

[davetrigga]

I have entered a trail race (12 miles and 4500ft of climbing) in Morzine in the alps this summer. It states I need to either be a member of the french equivalent of UKA or provide a medical note stating my fitness to race. Has anyone got any experience of this and what is required to be in the medical note?

[Tussockface]

When I've run in France in the past I've used the following form of words in a document. I've also tried waving my UKA card, but have discovered that nothing in France beats a letter from a doctor, especially with an impressive-looking official stamp on it.

CERTIFICAT DE NON CONTRE - INDICATION A LA PRATIQUE DE LA COURSE A PIED EN COMPETITION
(MEDICAL CERTIFICATE PROVING APTITUDE TO THE PRACTICE OF RUNNING IN A COMPETITION)


Je soussigné(e),:
(I the undersigned,)


Docteur en médicine
(Doctor of medicine)


après avoir examiné ce jour:
(have today examined)


Mlle/Mme ou M.:
(Miss, Mrs or Mr)


Né(e) le:
(Born on)


certifie que son état de santé actuel ne présente pas de contre-indication à la pratique de la course à pied en compétition).
(and certify that he/she demonstrates a level of fitness that does not prevent the practice of running in competitions.)


Date:
(Date)


Signature et cachet:
(Signature and stamp)

[davetrigga]

Brilliant. Thanks. It is good to know what is needed. It is a long way to travel to be turned down because of not having the right paperwork.

[Tussockface]

Glad to help. It was Feet In The Cowclaps, sadly missed, who helped me out with that template eight years ago, and it's worked for me in several French races since then.

[Vampire]

Here's the one they ask you to get signed for the Mont Blanc Marathon, it's basically as mentioned above. Most doctors charge to sign these, mine costs about £26.

http://www.montblancmarathon.net/ima...AT_MEDICAL.pdf

[IanDarkpeak]

Glad to help. It was Feet In The Cowclaps, sadly missed, who helped me out with that template eight years ago, and it's worked for me in several French races since then.

ditto the above...

I was in Morzine two years ago and drove over to Switzerland, turned up at start of a race and they hadn't received my race entry and docs note(free BTW if you have a friendly doc)
They just said fill in a form EOD and I raced with out a note? great race too

[gej]

Does it say anywhere that it has to be a doctor of medicine? The guy sitting opposite me at work has a PhD in semiconductor physics....

[PeteS]

Does it say anywhere that it has to be a doctor of medicine? The guy sitting opposite me at work has a PhD in semiconductor physics....

Probably not - I'm surrounded by Doctors at work too - none of them GPs though.
In my experience and as pointed out by Tussockface, nothing in France beats a letter with an impressive-looking official stamp on it. The French language does give us the word "bureaucracy" after all.

[neilly]

I doubt they check who's signed it. I signed my own one certifying I was hale and hearty at the time of signing. They were processing thousands of them so we're just box ticking.
That was Mont Blanc marathon.

[MorganW]

I doubt they check who's signed it. I signed my own one certifying I was hale and hearty at the time of signing. They were processing thousands of them so we're just box ticking.
That was Mont Blanc marathon.

As against that tale, I have a US friend whose certificate for the CCC was turned down as a result of the race organisation having issues with the certification of the US doctor who signed the certificate. (It was eventually resolved.)

I had to obtain my first version of this type of certificate well over 15 years ago. In France, athletes are issued with a competition licence annually which requires a compulsory medical. In lieu of athletes from other countries having a licence backed by a medical, many races (if not all) insist on these certificates.

As others have mentioned, many GPs don't charge for this, but some do. Mine has charged when he remembers, but has been known to forget. Some barely do more than blood pressure and some simple checks; others I've heard of are more thorough.

I'd expect the discovery of self-certification to be treated pretty harshly in France, so anyone wanting to run in France on a regular basis over a number of years (as many of us do) is probably best advised to toe the line. Over the years I've had 3 ECGs I wouldn't otherwise have had but for the need to get checked and signed off, and that's no bad thing.