Tontons du Pace, episode 1: Grandpa Bernard

We're kicking off 2026 with something that will be a resolution, a tribute and a guiding line for the future all at once. Maybe drag running down a little less, and instead lift up and celebrate, through our Tontons du Pace series (our pace uncles, and aunties), the old-timers, the old guard. The ones you don't see much on social media, first because they don't understand a thing about it, but also because they're probably not sexy enough for brands. Not enough reach.

But if you think about the ultimate influencer for Lionel, it's clearly Bernard. His moustache, his colourful and not always matching outfits, his passion for the Tour de France and for Marvejols-Mende, his boundless admiration for sportswomen (starting with Marie-Jo Pérec), his involvement in the local club, his vision of running with your mates, whatever the time on the clock.

So we couldn't have dreamt of a better way to launch Tontons du Pace than with the honorary president of the Ozon Courir club, 81 years old and still fired up, whether in front of his TV or behind the mic, hosting the Printemps d’Ozon Courir or the Corbas 10K.
In this video, Bernard talks about his relationship with running, the pleasure he still gets from hosting races and cheering runners on, and the surprise bib his friends gave him for his 70th birthday, on the race closest to his heart.

And since the sporting gods were on our side, we shot it on the day Jimmy Gressier was crowned 10,000 m world champion. It's a long format, no sponsor, no carbon plates, no hype, but deeply sincere and authentic.

You can watch the video on our Instagram.