Engagement of the “relay runners for science” team: An act of solidarity during Emancipation Day commemorating the abolition of Slavery in Guadeloupe

• Post by: Dr Marie-Dominique HARDY-DESSOURCES
• 16 juin 2025
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The Relai inter-entrepise (RIE) is a relay race which is organized every 27^th of May to commemorate the abolition of Slavery in Guadeloupe. Promoting solidarity, cooperation and remembrance as its core values, this event reunites employees from many public and private companies of the island. Since its creation in 1998, the RIE became a key and very popular running race in Guadeloupe: 60km between the two cities (Petit-Bourg and Vieux-Habitants for the 2025 edition), involving 21 relay runners, running each, around 3km.

Encouraging sports for all and solidarity, the 25^th Edition relay race, which was held the 27^th of May 2025, saw the participation of a team named “the relay runners for science” including researchers, clinicians, engineers and technicians from INSERM (U1085, U1134, CIC 1424), Pasteur Institute, Karubiotec lab and Guadeloupe University Hospital research units. Their main intention was to promote guadeloupean biomedical research, particularly research on sickle cell disease to the public.

The preparation of the event was a great opportunity to reinforce cohesion between the participant research teams during bi-weekly training sessions. Short videos published on social media allowed a presentation of the professionals and a description of their research units’ activities. The day of the relay race, a booth at the arrival in Vieux-Habitants was a great occasion to raise awareness on sickle cell disease and to share to the public, information related to their research, with the help of posters and leaflets.

The “relay runners for science” would like to dearly thank two of their sponsors:

• Guadeloupe Espoir Drépanocytose, an association which actively supports patients suffering from sickle cell disease,
•  Madrépore, an association created by the healthcare professionals from the Guadeloupean Clinical unit of sickle cell disease, which fervently promotes research and communications related to sickle cell disease and other red blood cells disorders.

Written by Dr. Joëlle MAGNE