# TATAS DU PACE, EPISODE 3: MICHELINE By Lionel Fracture · 12 November 2026 · Spé JF After [Papi Bernard](https://joliefoulee.fr/en/articles/tontons-du-pace-episode-1-grandpa-bernard) and [Adheno](https://joliefoulee.fr/en/articles/tontons-du-pace-episode-2-adheno), the series switches gender. For this third episode, the Tontons du Pace (the pace uncles) become the Tatas du Pace (the pace aunties), and we head to Marseille to meet Micheline. Micheline came to Marseille 46 years ago for the love of a Marseillais, and she never left. She proudly calls herself a grandma, but everyone tells her she doesn't look her age. We can only confirm. For her, sport is a soft drug. Every morning she needs to move, and every Monday she goes hiking in the Gémenos hills with her friends from the Marseillaise des Femmes. She was supposed to run Marseille-Cassis in 2020, but Covid decided otherwise. So she found another way to join the party. During the week, she packs the runners' bags, then, at the race village, she hands out T-shirts with Jean-Paul, and keeps one for her collection. On Sunday, she sets her alarm before dawn and heads up the Gineste with Marie-France to set up and run the aid station. She cheers everyone on, keeps an eye on those who start to stagger, and doesn't hesitate to stop one when she has to. The elites, she barely has time to see. For our team, she ran the counter at the top of the Gineste like a neighbourhood barmaid: everyone's favourite drink, a splash of water served with a smile, a well-deserved reward after climbing the col. For some, it may even have been the assist behind a top-notch performance: the times are in [our Marseille-Cassis 2026 notes](https://joliefoulee.fr/en/articles/marseille-cassis-2026-the-report-card). Once the last runner has left for Cassis, she clears up with her teammates and makes sure clumsy runners' rubbish doesn't end up in nature. The Calanques National Park thanks her. Micheline is pure kindness. It's thanks to such dedicated people that a race as beautiful as Marseille-Cassis can exist. That weekend, Mimi counts neither her hours nor her smiles. ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/30666fb16b0c477501d5af11c65787f939a100ec-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/70bdef437dccb5c14e71a00b0743ba6f7bf69019-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/9c4037ac23fbd7b3d183cab3afe59ad816460f65-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) And through her, we want to say thank you to everyone who does what she does. The volunteers. The ones who get up long before us, put up the barriers, fill thousands of cups, hand out a slice of saucisson or a dried apricot, cheer us on without being asked (even though we're not always the friendliest at kilometre 18), then pick up what we've left along the road. Without them, no aid stations, no race, no stories to show off with at the office on Monday (even with an unremarkable time). They don't leave with a medal or a finish time. What they give is their time, their energy and a lot of heart, for the love of sport and of others. Real generosity, a quiet nobility we too often forget as we fly past them, cup half spilled down our shirt. So next time, promise us you'll take a moment to look up and say a big thank you. Micheline will answer with a smile. “Honestly, it's a good life.” She's right, and then some. [View on Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/1246283781) ### Looking back at episodes 1 and 2 Before Micheline, there were two tontons. Two characters you'll never see in an ad campaign, and that's exactly why we love them. First, [Papi Bernard](https://joliefoulee.fr/en/articles/tontons-du-pace-episode-1-grandpa-bernard), 81, honorary president of Ozon Courir. Regulation moustache, not always well-matched outfits, an undying passion for the Tour de France, Marvejols-Mende and hijacking the mic at the Printemps d'Ozon Courir. An episode shot on the day Jimmy Gressier became 10,000 m world champion. You can't make this up. [View on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaHanPiwrug) Then [Adheno](https://joliefoulee.fr/en/articles/tontons-du-pace-episode-2-adheno), 62, the former vintage seller from central Lyon who inspired the series. Endless chat, an elephant's memory for local runners' times, and a story he's told us 25 times: his mate Rachid Ziar, beaten at the Paris Marathon by Benoît Z… while eating a banana. [View on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iHcPMp9GME) Three profiles, three paths, and the same love of running from before carbon plates and before Instagram. Long live talentless running. If you know a tata or a tonton du pace, feel free to send us a DM on Insta to suggest them 🙂 *Thanks to New Balance for taking us to Micheline, to [@marscassis](https://www.instagram.com/marscassis/), and to the boss behind the camera, [@mattcxr](https://www.instagram.com/mattcxr/).* ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/6dea2629fbbfc6d5514599629f4ac6dd6a57b398-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/4383f63a93fd85c1e1194048db28a59a617e55e5-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/a73f1ca3399ed5613be8af96410855b5de476637-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/6a95799e57810981c54d18bece7e78b873d83331-1080x1350.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/1fdade51270c3b6682854e27e4d913c3696bff60-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/87e48084586a21975921c95f3839b44b2c042064-1080x1350.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/be30e934c822bcc40f15a77fb6b3a613fe55667b-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/7c20a43c163de6156fc18c8dd74060e27d721411-1449x1811.jpg?w=1600) ![](https://joliefoulee.fr/media-proxy/images/2aurc9wy/production/bc2982371bb4b43dcc2f271cf2c9b53feaa3188e-1351x1689.jpg?w=1600)