Communities across the Sarthe department are staging a wide-ranging series of sports events, concerts, and fitness sessions throughout the weekend for Octobre rose, raising funds for cancer research and local support organizations, Santé reported.
Charity Sports and Fitness Sessions on Saturday
The weekend schedule opens on Saturday, October 17, with multiple towns hosting physical activities. In Rouez, the Club Olympique Rouézien is running an afternoon program at the local gymnasium starting at a participation cost of €10. Coaches are volunteering their time to run the sessions, with all proceeds directed to the Ligue contre le cancer. The event highlights the health benefits of regular exercise while showcasing the club’s various athletic programs.
In Le Mans, residents can visit Place de la République between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to try baseball, hitting ten balls for one euro to benefit research efforts. The city is also hosting a musical nap, health mediation, and sophrology sessions at the Aragon media library, alongside a charity dance and spectacle event at Les Saulnières beginning at 3 p.m. in support of the Ligue contre le cancer.
Le Grand-Lucé has scheduled a 3-kilometer loop through the town center from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., organized by local associations in the town hall park.
At Le Lude, the town dance school is holding a fit dance session led by instructors Amandine Tobaldi and Anaëlle Montébrun. The class runs from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at gymnasium number 1 on the Pontfour site for participants aged 10 and older. Admission is priced at €10 for adults and €5 for children aged 10 to 17.
Sillé-le-Guillaume features a combined music and painting performance organized by the Lions Club Sillé Alpes Mancelles at Salle Léon-Besnardeau starting at 8 p.m. Pianist Caroline Mahé Goupil, a professor at the Le Mans conservatory, is performing works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Fauré, and Ravel. Young cellists Lise and Fleur Bossard are joining her to play Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Swan and a Tchaikovsky nocturne, while artist Xavier Kosmalski creates a painting live during the concert. Admission is €12.
In Mamers, the local voluntary gymnastics association is hosting a multi-activity sports day at the village hall featuring fitness, dance, Pilates, sophrology, and Yin Yoga. The event operates on a flexible participation model with a minimum donation of €5 per class and a pink dress code.
Rugby Matches and Community Walks on Sunday
Events continue on Sunday, October 18, with competitive sports and organized walks scheduled across the department. In La Flèche, the Rugby Pays fléchois club is hosting a charity match day at La Pépinière. A leisure rugby fixture between the local club and Rhinos 49 is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed at 3 p.m. by a match featuring the women’s teams from La Flèche and COP against SCO d’Angers. All ticket proceeds are earmarked for Octobre rose initiatives.
Guécélard is running two secure circuits of 4 and 6 kilometers for hikers, Nordic walkers, and joggers starting between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., with arrivals opening at 9 a.m. near the village hall and sports complex on Rue du Dauphin.
Fresnay-sur-Sarthe has organized an afternoon program at the Escale social center from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., featuring information booths on cancer screening and prevention alongside sound therapy, adapted physical activity, and musical performances. A community group is attempting to fold 1,000 origami cranes as part of a ongoing challenge, preceding a 3 to 4-kilometer community walk starting at 3 p.m. for a €3 adult entry fee benefiting the Fondation ARC.
Parigné-l’Évêque is organizing a forest walk through routes ranging from 2.5 to 8 kilometers, with warm-up exercises led by event patron and athlete Nathalie Mauclair starting at 1:30 p.m. near the Salle Ouranos parking area.
Additional events include the Foulées Ludoises in Le Lude, featuring an untimed 5-kilometer run and walk organized by Courir Au Lude on Place François-de-Nicolaÿ with a €6 entry fee going to Ruban Rose, and Saint-Corneille’s 5-kilometer Rose walk starting from the stadium following a morning Zumba session.
