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MARATHON MONT BLANC 2023 RESULTS: REMI BONNET AND SOPHIA LUAKLI SET NEW RECORDS
MARATHON MONT BLANC 2023 RESULTS: REMI BONNET AND SOPHIA LUAKLI SET NEW RECORDS: Rémi Bonnet and Sophia Laukli take the win at the Marathon du Mont–Blanc, the GTWS second leg. Both of them beat the course records, which included an extra detour at Vallorcine, sending out a blatant message to the competition this year.
Read in spanish: MARATHON MONT BLANC, CRÓNICA POR MAYAYO
MARATHON MONT BLANC 2023 RACE RECAP
Rémi Bonnet and Sophia Laukli take the win at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, the GTWS second leg. Both of them beat the course records, which included an extra detour at Vallorcine, sending out a blatant message to the competition this year.
THE COURSE
The Marathon du Mont-Blanc is one of the races that helped write the history of trail running, with its stellar course route offering breathtaking views of Mont Blanc, the amazing atmosphere that reigns in the Chamonix streets, and the fan zones with supporters enthusiastically cheering on the athletes.
It’s not surprising that this race has been part of the Golden Trail World Series from the word go. While last year the course was modified to have the start and finish smack-bang in the centre of Chamonix, this year there’s another sweet addition, a short steep climb just before the Col des Montets that will add 70 metres of vertical elevation and should spice up the mid-way point of the race!
MARATHON MONT BLANC 2023: RACE RECAP
It was hot, really hot in Chamonix this Sunday 25th June 2023, but the heat didn’t seem to affect Rémi Bonnet (Salomon/Red Bull – Switzerland). He set off cautiously and in the first climb turned on the gas to take over the lead. The Swiss then proceeded to forge a gap with his rivals demonstrating his impressive mastery on the uphill and downhills.
In the end, he beat the course record despite an additional one kilometre and 70 metres elevation at Vallorcine this year. “I’ve been waiting 5 years for this one, Now, all I have to do is win Sierre-Zinal! I’m really happy with today’s victory, it reinforces the fact that I’m in really good shape this year. There’s always a massive crowd at the finish line in Chamonix, and it’s just amazing. It really shows the sport is moving in the right direction, and it’s really heartwarming. Now that we’re on race profiles that suit me, I’m out to show I’m here.”
A mere 5 minutes behind is a very impressive Eli Hemming (Salomon – USA). After his victory back home on the Broken Arrow World Cup WMRA event, the American came to prove his worth on one of Europe’s most esteemed races. “It was a tough day today, I’m really pleased with this result, it’s incredible. I always ask European runners how they manage to run so fast, and obviously I am really thrilled with this result. Rémi was on another planet today. I tried my best to keep up with him, but I quickly realised that I just had to battle with myself today. Now I’m going to focus on Sierre – Zinal before participating in the USA races.”
Petter Engdhal (Adidas Terrex – Sweden) waited until the final section of the very last climb to La Flégère to give it his all and take third place. “I’m so happy! I’ve had so many setbacks here so I wanted to prove I could perform well at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc. I set off slowly to manage my pace and preserve my legs. I started to feel increasingly better and I was able to climb back up through the ranks. I was under a lot of pressure, so I’m thrilled with this third place! This result gives me loads of confidence for the rest of the season.”
MARATHON MONT BLANC 2023 PHOTO DAVID GONTHIER 5
SOPHIA LAUKLI WINS THE WOMEN´S
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She took the lead in the first part of the race and continued to widen the gap with her rivals. Sophia Laukli (Salomon – USA) obliterated the competition today, finishing almost 12 minutes ahead of her nearest rival. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for her. “I started off quite slowly. I’d heard so many times before that people who started out too fast blew up, so I started out slower in the first part and managed it well. Even so, I don’t think I fuelled myself properly because on the second climb I started to get lightheaded and feel a bit of heatstroke. But I was told that I had a 12-minute lead, so I just made sure I got through the last descent. Being up front I was afraid of missing a turn or falling. I’m really happy with this result!”
Miao Yao (Salomon – China) finished second, having finished 18th in Zegama after leading the race for a long time. “I can’t be disappointed with my second place today, given my form and my training, but when I come to a race it’s to win! Sophia was very strong, but I’ll have to train better and more specifically for this type of event to win next time. I’ve got my sights set on longer distances this summer, but with this result I’ll have to think about the rest of my season.”
Rounding off the podium was the unstoppable Oihana Kortazar (Salomon – Spain). “I’m really happy because it’s not an easy race. It’s always super-fast at the start and you can get caught up in it and then lose everything at the end. I fluctuated between 2nd and 4th place throughout the race. Then at kilometre 30 I felt a tiny bit worse and lost sight of second, but I’m really happy because I didn’t fall and I felt powerful in the downhill, which is crucial in this race. Considering the level here, I wasn’t expecting to finish third – it’s magnificent!”
MARATHON MONT BLANC 2023 Results
Men
1 – RÉMI BONNET (SALOMON RED BULL – CHE): 3:35:04 (+200 pts)
2 – ELI HEMMING (SALOMON – USA): 3:40:50 (+188 pts)
3 – PETTER ENGDHAL (ADIDAS TERREX – SWE): 3:46:44 (+176 pts)
4 – MANUEL MERILLAS (SCARPA – ESP): 3:48:31 (+166 pts)
5 – BART PRZEDWOJEWSKI (SALOMON – POL): 3:49:47 (+156 pts)
Women
1 – SOPHIA LAUKLI (SALOMON – USA): 4:12:39 (+200 pts)
2 – MIAO YAO (SALOMON – CHI): 4:24:27 (+188 pts)
3 – OIHANA KORTAZAR (SALOMON – ESP): 4:25:57(+176 pts)
4 – THERES LEBOEUF (LEBOEUF/COMPRESSPORT – CHE): 4:30:02 (+166 pts)
5 – SYLVIA NORDSKAR (HOKA ONE ONE/DÆLHIE – NOR): 4:31:59 (+156 pts)
MARATHON MONT BLANC 2023 PHOTO DAVID GONTHIER
GTWS 2023: CALENDAR
Heading to the Dolomites The Golden Trail World Series’ second leg is done and dusted, so it’s time to head to Italy, the Dolomites and the glorious Dolomyths Run, which is celebrating its 25th edition this year. See you on 15th July for the GTWS 2023 third leg.
- 14 May: Zegama-Aizkorri, Spain — 42 km / 2,736 m D+*
- 25 June: Marathon du Mont-Blanc, France — 42 km / 2,540 m D+
- 15 July: Dolomyths Run, Italy — 22 km / 1,750 m D+
- 12 August: Sierre-Zinal, Switzerland – 31 km / 2,200 m D+
- 16 September: Pikes Peak Ascent, United States — 21 km / 2,382 m D+
- 23 September: Mammoth 26K—Mammoth Trail Fest, United States — 26 km / 1,400 m D+
- 19 to 22 October: Grand Finale, Il Golfo dell’Isola Trail Race, Italy — 23 km / 1,200 m D+ (+ prologue).
GOLDEN TRAIL WORLD SERIES 2023: GRAND FINALE AT IL GOLFO DELL’ISOLA TRAIL RACE.
In 2023, the Liguria region of Italy was chosen to host the GTWS Grand Final. The event—Il Golfo dell’Isola Trail Race—will consist of a prologue and a run of approximately 25 km with 1,200 m D+.
The women’s prologue will be on the Thursday and the men’s on the Friday, and the women’s race is on the Saturday, while the men’s is on the Sunday. All races are open to everyone and will feature both OPEN and ELITES ranking, as well as a team ranking of the best Golden Trail National Series.
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