Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

After a gruelling race, they’ve made it!

 

Seventeen days after 19 Renault and Nissan employees left Paris, the Renault-Nissan Alliance Runners arrived at the AVTOVAZ manufacturing plant in Togliatti, Russia. They ran 4,000 kms in the name of teambuilding and friendship.

 

Organized as a relay event, the squad was split into three teams with runners covering 10 to 15 kms on each stint. Participants ran solo or in pairs, then passed the baton to the next team member. 

 

They ran 24 hours a day, in all weather. Forecasts for an unusually warm “Indian summer” in Russia were completely wrong: When the runners arrived in Russia, they were greeted by freezing rain, snow and wind on the final sprint.

 

Despite the bad weather – as well as several sprains and a lot of sore muscles and bleary eyes -- the event galvanized team spirit and interconnections within the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which has a controlling interest in AVTOVAZ, Russia’s leading automaker and owner of the iconic LADA brand. Together, Renault, Nissan and VAZ account for about one-third of Russian sales, and the goal is to exceed 40% market share.

 

Noteworthy parts of the trip:

 

• Attempting to run from Poland into Belarus, customs officials sent the three teams from border crossing to border crossing before they could finally pass. The hassle added 11 hours to the total time. 

 

• Belarus also caused problems when runners could not find grocery stores that accepted their credit cards. Hunger settled over the runners, but they kept pushing eastward.

 

• On the other hand, the team was pleasantly surprised that crossing the Russian border on Day 10 took only five minutes!

 

• Also, while in Russia, viral buzz resulted in lots of cheering crowds. At the end of each day’s run, LADA dealers hosted the runners with news conferences, gala dinners and friendly encouragement. 

 

• In the home stretch as they entered Togliatti, they even got an official police escort.

 

Alliance Runners: We are very impressed and we heartily salute your tremendous accomplishment!