25th Anniversary Race of “La Diagonale Des Fous”

Press Release / 18.10.2017

“La Diagonale des Fous” and “Trail de Bourbon” (La Réunion – France) take place this week, from October 19th at 10pm (local time). The 165km-long race with 10,720m of elevation gain, is one of the most difficult in the UTWT series. It crosses the island from South to North with gorgeous landscapes around the famous volcano, “Piton de la Fournaise”, and its ramparts, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.

This year “La Diagonale des Fous” celebrates its 25th anniversary and is an iconic race of the Ultra-Trail® World Tour.

This year, the race will see the best Elite athletes competing for victory.

In the Women's race, Andrea HUSER, defending champion, will be the favourite. But she must be very careful as Emilie LECOMTE, Fernanda MACIEL or Mélanie ROUSSET can also fight for the win.

In the Men's race, the competition should be tight. Julien CHORIER, Jim WALMSLEY, Xavier THÉVENARD, Seth SWANSON, Diego PAZOS, CAMUS brothers, Antoine Guillon, Ludovic POMMERET and many other athletes will go on for a strong performance and try to finish in the top 3.

“Trail de Bourbon” will celebrate its 18th anniversary. The distance is a good alternative to “La Diagonale des Fous”.  Yes, it is shorter and easier (111 Km; 7300m Elevation gain) but it is a solid ultra race. It goes through the island, like its sister race, with amazing views all along the course.

Both races remain strong pillars of the Ultra-Trail® World Tour and allow athletes to discover paths that push them to test their limits.

For more information on the Ultra-Trail World Tour visit www.ultratrail-worldtour.com.

The live coverage page for La Diagonale des Fous is http://grandraid.sfr.re/accueil