d’Haene Goes for 3rd Win in a Row in Reunion
News Release / 18.09.2014
After his latest victory in the UTMB one of the races in The North Face® Ultra-Trail of Mont Blanc, François d’Haene (Solomon Isles) is the big favourite for taking the first place in the Ultra-TrailWorld Tour. After two races one after the other (Ultra-Trail Mont Fuji- Japan and the UTMB), François is really hoping to meet his challenge of adding a third victory with the final event of the season … and to take the Title!
Ryan Sandes (RSA° who has run 3 races (1st in theTNF Transgrancanaria, 2nd on the Ultra-Trail Mt Fuji- Japan, 5th Western States Endurance Trail) is still in the lead of the rankings, but has not announced his participation in the Diagonale des fous.
Behind come the French WAA team, Antoine Guillon, Christophe Le Saux and Cyril Cointre, can also claim a place of choice: they have accumulated points, results of their many participations and their regular placings in the first 10. The Lithuaniann Gediminas Grinius, at present 2nd in the general rankings has not a priori registered for this final leg.
Among the Ladies, the group up front lead by Nuria Picas (SP), Fernanda Maciel (BRA) and Francesca Canepa (ITA), have not yet registered for the Diagonale des Fous. The American Rory Bosio who won The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail and the UTMB® is also absent. France’s Nathalie Mauclair, winner of the Diagonale in 2013 and on the 3rd step of the podium in 2014 at the Western States Endurance Trail and on the UTMB®, is really counting on repeating her feat and climbing up the rankings!
'La Diagonale des Fous' - The Grand Raid - Ile de la Réunion
Imagine running 8 marathons in a row … This is what the finishers of the “Diagonale des Fous” accomplish as they cross Reunion Island.
When they are awarded their medal and their yellow T-shirt «I have survived», they will have climbed 9,000m. The Grand Raid Reunion is a physical challenge and those who attempt it are accomplished sportsmen and women.
From the start right until the end of the race, competitors pass 5 peaks culminating in around 2,000 m (the highest being at 2,411 m), they will have walked on the volcano, touched the sky along the craters and above the ravines, the Cilaos circus, Malfate, and confronted the mud of the forests of Kerveguen.
The Grand Raid has become a myth: out of the 2,500 taking the Start, only 70% will see the Finish. The winner will take around 20 hours, while the finishers have a maximum of 64 hours to arrive at the Stadium of La Redoute at Saint-Denis!
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