The Grand Raid des Pyrenees
Grand Running in the High Pyrenees
Jacques Marais / 25.08.2011
A competitive field of 1600-plus athletes have arrived from around the world since early yesterday, with the sole focus of taking on one of the toughest mountain runs on Planet Earth. The Pyrenees are know for the technical nature of the local trails and - with the added challenge of a 10 000m cumulative ascent over 160km - this will surely be an ultra run dominated by the true ‘mountain goats’ of the trail running community.
Dawa Sherpa, the legendary Nepalese runner, will for one not be too awed by the high Pyrenean peaks. This year he has chosen not to compete in the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc, rather opting for the Grand Raid des Pyrenees, and ultra enthusiasts from around the world will be following the progress of this incredible athlete.
“I expect it to be a lot tougher than UTMB�, Sherpa said in an interview this morning. “The Alpine trails are groomed and easy to run in comparison to the technical terrain expected underfoot tomorrow�, he continued. Sherpa hopes to finish the 80km run in around 10 hrs, despite forecasts of snow and and 100km /hr winds in the towering peaks.
Firm favourites, such as Oscar Peres Lopes (from Spain) will also return once again to take on this savage trail, hoping to improve on his 2nd place last year. The same goes for UK sensation Nicky Spinks, who in 2010 set a blistering pace to beat her closest female rival by an incredible 3hrs. (She managed an overall position of 19th, a breathtaking feat).
The 160km event starts at 05h00 on Friday August 26th, 2011, with the 80km runners out of the starting blocks exactly 24hrs later at 05h00 on Saturday morning. If you would like to follow the event, Live Tracking is available on www.grandraidpyrenees.com – click on ‘Suive GeoFp’ on the Home Page and follow instructions.
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