Guilhem Prax, sports spirit in the town hall

After the Municipal campaign, a meeting was held with the team of new elected officials in Millau. Guilhem Prax, the eighth deputy, is in charge of Sports.

He is celebrating his 37th birthday on April 23. It has been nearly 14 years since he moved from Alès to Millau to work at Sport 2 000 when the store was led by Patrick Gineste.

Although Guilhem Prax studied in Nîmes to become a computer developer, he has always been involved in commerce on the side.

“I worked at Decathlon on Saturdays and then at Culture Vélo when they launched the running section,” he recalls. Running has been a passion of his since he was 10 years old through athletics, whether with or without a license.

“My father used to do car racing and got into triathlon at 37, and I used to run with him, but we are a family that enjoys hiking a lot,” he confides.

It was his enthusiasm for trail running that brought Guilhem Prax to settle in Millau. He became acquainted with Guillaume Raffinesque and his partner Laurie Alric, and after visiting them several times, he attended the Templars weekend as a spectator.

In 2011, while practicing mountain running, his idol was Thomas Lorblanchet, a four-time Grand Trail winner.

Guilhem Prax worked for Templiers Events a few months after two years at Sport 2 000, and before running his store, Endurance Shop, for 7 years – where “Millau en Action” held its office.

Prioritizing Organization over Politics

Since coming to the city, Guilhem Prax has been involved with the Verticausse team from 2014 to 2019. He co-founded the Trail School in 2018 with his friend Loïc Ayral, where he was president until 2024. In the following year, he launched the Trail de la Cité de pierres before the Covid pandemic reshuffled plans, and he organized the first post-Covid race in 2021 with a strong roster.

“The network? I traveled a lot at trade shows with Salomon, and I think the store helped me,” he replies. Guilhem Prax describes himself as “a mix of Lionel Planes, Pierre Toussaint, Patrick Gineste, and Gilles Bertrand” who have inspired him.

Always interested in the non-profit sector, he, responsible commercial at Maison Fabre for 4 years, dipped a toe into politics by joining the citizen advisory board in 2019 to work on mobility issues.

“My first interactions with Christophe Saint-Pierre date back to September 2023, on the day of the 100 km of Millau (where Guilhem Prax was a volunteer, Editor’s note), to collaborate on a project,” he recalls. “A year later, after much deliberation, I offered to be on the list if needed, to support the team.”

Now the eighth deputy in charge of Sports, Guilhem Prax aims for this term to be “one to prepare the future and strengthen Millau’s position as a leader in outdoor activities and combat the mountain resorts that will have to reinvent themselves due to lack of snow,” he declares. “Beyond maintaining current spaces, we need to focus on La Maladrerie, the whitewater stadium, and the bike park.”