On Squad Race Los Angeles: Jolie Foulée in Bronze!
A few weeks ago, in Barcelona, Emma, Emilie, Zian and Flavien had pulled off the impossible: qualifying a Jolie Foulée crew for the On Squad Race World Final in Los Angeles. Just that was already a heist.
In late September, our four relay runners dropped their bags in California to face the best teams on the planet. The scenario was perfect: leading after legs 2 and 3, a comfortable lead, and the prospect of a world title. Then the final straight came, and with it the most untalented way possible to finish a race: swallowed up 100 metres from the finish. Result: a bronze medal, the first for Jolie Foulée at the international level, and that well before LA 2028.
But as often, this trip offered more than just lactic acid and a medal: surf sessions, bike falls, a dodgy karaoke and an after party we’ll never know everything about. To tell us all about it, we’re bringing back the Barcelona format and handing the mic to Émilie and Flavien.
From Barcelona to Los Angeles
Between Barcelona and LA, how did you prepare for this trip? And in your suitcase, the indispensable item and the one that was useless?
Emilie: As I come from athletics and that’s where I really want to perform, I just kept training and rolling out my season as it was going. I knew I was going to LA in September, but it was only 3 or 4 days before that I thought: ‘Shit, in 3 days I’m in LA!’ And the closer it got, the more excited I was. My indispensable was my swimsuit: I absolutely had to swim in the Pacific at least once. The useless thing was all the stuff I’d taken to work on my classes…
Flavien: Honestly, I didn’t think about it too much, because I was scared the wait would be too long. No pressure: the goal was to love Los Angeles 100%, we weren’t there for the race. Essential gear: the Cloudsoma Moc!
First steps in Los Angeles: was it what you imagined?
Emilie: It was my first time in the US, and I struggled to believe I was really there. But as soon as I left the airport, I realised Americans always think big!
Flavien: Like in a video game! I’ve never played GTA, but apparently it was just the same. A little slap to tell yourself: “This is it, this time it’s real, we’re here.”
Surf, thrift shops and rival crews
The race lasted a few minutes, the trip a bit longer. Your best memory outside the time?
Emilie: All of them! It’s way too hard to pick just one. The walks and bike rides on Venice Beach (note Zian’s loss of cool, who tried to show off in front of the girls and ended up half on the ground), the streets hunting for thrift stores, the run way too slow with all the other teams, our surf session, the Santa Monica pier, or the observatory with a view of the Hollywood Sign. I’ll stop there, otherwise I’ll describe every second of the trip and it’ll be way too long…
Flavien: It’s a tough call. I’m torn between our after-party at some random guy’s place, in a random apartment in a posh LA neighbourhood, and my very first surf wave, right here in Los Angeles, on a Barbie board. Thanks Emilie for the loan.
Facing the world's best teams, who blew you away the most? And did you make some mates?
Emilie: The Dutch team, who ended up winning, was pretty impressive. One of the girls had actually run the same European U20 Championships as me in 2025. Her on 400 m, me on 3000 m steeple: no need to draw you a picture to know who's the fastest. Before the race, there wasn't much chatting, each team stuck to themselves. It was after the final that everything opened up: people were congratulating each other, asking about each other's events… But I think that in reality, they mostly wanted to know if we were planning to party.
Flavien: The winning team was really strong, all international runners. We got on well with the team that had come second in the LA semi-final, run just before us. The others were far too focused to be sociable, so we retreated into our own bubble too.
On Squad Race final: we nearly pulled it off!
You were leading the relay legs 2 and 3, with a small lead. What did you think at that moment?
Emilie: I could see we had built up quite a lead and I thought we might be able to win. But I was a bit less sure than in Barcelona, because the lap was twice as long!
Flavien: At the start, I admit that Emma and I were a bit lazy. It was a really competitive atmosphere, like we were at the French championships (a bygone era, especially for Emma since she became an influencer). When I saw Zian come out in the lead, I wasn't surprised, it was consistent with our strategy. But when I saw Emma's lead, I really hoped we were going to pull off another heist.
And then there's that final straight… Tell us about it.
Emilie: I got overtaken just before the last bend that goes up to the finish line. I was really gutted, because in the climb, I had the impression that the gap stayed the same all the way to the end.
Flavien: When I saw Emilie get overtaken, I wasn’t even disappointed. Just the fact of having touched victory with our fingertips, it was already too good compared to our expectations. I lost my voice.
Third in the world, but caught at the end. Pretty proud or pretty frustrated? And when did you come back down?
Emilie: A mix of both! Already in Barcelona, I didn’t expect us to win, nor to go to LA. And this time, it was a bit the same: we struggled to know which team to watch out for and where we stood compared to the others. So, really proud of us, because we were all happy to be there and we all gave it our all. And a bit frustrated too, that’s the competitive side coming out: we’re all athletes first and foremost! For me, it was over quickly. I was already nostalgic, and sad to know it was over.
Flavien: I’m so proud of my team. We had zero ambition, we were the untalented of the competition, and it’s rare for us to find ourselves in that position. The goal was just to qualify for LA. Once we were there, running was the last thing on our minds. So we savoured every second of happiness at the front, before getting eaten up by the rockets. And we never really came back down: on the way back, Zian pulled out the speaker, and the next event, the after party, we won hands down. But everything that happened in LA stays in LA.
Crossed portraits, mediocrities and the rest of the season
A little awards ceremony among yourselves: a reward for each of your teammates.
Emilie: Emma’s the stressed-out one in the group, and especially my big sister on the trip. Flav, the nosy one: he was asking everyone for their results and their PBs before the race. And Zian, the funniest and most outgoing in the group, but especially the worst at English (no surprise there). His “My name is Zaïan” did me in.
Flavien: Zian, the essential camp entertainer and adventurer. Emma, the controversial TikToker. And Emilie, the crybaby: she cried more times than we spent days there.
Untalented runners as we are: what was your proudest mediocrity on the trip?
Emilie: Easy! On the morning of the start, I fall during an easy run, on flat ground, with no difficulty, and I cut my hand. Great start. And once I was there, while filming a video sequence, I do exactly the same fall, on the same hand. The most untalented move I could make!
Flavien: The karaoke in Santa Monica. I was definitely not born a singer.
And now, what's next?
Emilie: Keep building a solid training base, with a month of training camp in Font-Romeu, to make a first assessment of my comeback at the 10K de Bordeaux on 8 November. Then, the cross country selection race for the European Cross Country Championships on 22 November. And more generally this winter: take a step forward on the road by significantly improving my PBs on 5K and 10K, and have fun by aiming for the best possible position at the French Cross Country Championships.
Flavien: Aiming for my first half marathon, in the land of pizza, to break the JF record. For the rest, we’ll see how I feel.
Thanks to Emilie and Flavien for their answers, to Emma and Zian for representing our colours all the way to the USA, and to On for this Californian ride. See you in LA 2028!
Photo credits: @mathieu.barbey / @lorsbach_