In Besançon, located in the Doubs department, several young mothers gather every week to run together, but they do it with their babies in strollers. They call it the Run Poussettes, a way to spend time with their children while engaging in physical activity.
Fanny and her baby are getting ready. Today is Run Poussettes. This small group of mothers meets at the banks of the Doubs river that runs through the city of Besançon. By the water, they engage in sports and enjoy a cheerful atmosphere. Adeline Hamonic explains, “The goal is for each one to have a comfortable pace. So we don’t push anyone, we adapt to the ‘slower’ ones.”
Once a week, the mothers go on a 5 km outing with no performance goals and no pressure. Coline Cochet, a physiotherapist and co-founder of Run Poussettes, says they wanted to bring young mothers together to take care of themselves while managing their babies, allowing them to be together and engage in some physical activity.
Another aim of this group of young mothers is to provide tailored support for resuming physical activity after pregnancy. Manon Toutenu, an osteopath and co-founder of Run Poussettes, emphasizes the importance of individual pace and gradual progression respecting each mother’s unique situation.
On average, a mother should wait 6 to 9 months postpartum before reintegrating regular physical activity. The idea is also to combat social isolation linked to motherhood, and Manon, the osteopath, initiated the run poussettes in summer 2025, aiming to share the experience with other women going through the same phase.
The runs in Besançon are free and open to all. If you wish to participate, there is an Instagram page available. This report was compiled by Pauline Gardet, Denis Colle, Lea Gutleben, and Lucas Clerc.
