The Grand Raid des Pyrenees
Mountain Goats dominate in Grand Raid des Pyrenees
Jacques Marais / 31.08.2011
This tiny Midi-Pyrenees community, situated within the Neste valley, opened their homes, hotels, squares, restaurants and – most importantly – their hearts to more than 1 600 trail runners 22 countries. “This is our biggest annual event, and we’d love to build on this to create a trail destination for people from around the worldâ€?, said Mayor Maryse Beyrié.
This was the 4th presentation of the Grand Raid des Pyrenees, and even the threat of bad weather could not dampen the Mayor’s enthusiasm. It was however necessary for the race organisation to move to Ultra back by two hours to avoid the danger of lightning in the high peaks of the Pyrenean ranges. The stage to the highest point on the course, Pic du Midi, was consequently re-routed.
The 160km event started at 07h00 on Friday August 26th, 2011, following a gruelling route between feed stations and refuges spaced approximately 7km apart. The Grand Raid des Pyrenees, know for its technical nature and a blazing cumulative ascent of nearly 10000m, was once again dominated by big mountain specialists.
‘Queen of the Mountains’, Nicky Spinks from the UK, returned once again to build on her phenomenal run of 2010. After 29 hrs 45 min, 160km of running, and a gruelling ascent of 9 568m, the diminutive Brit completed a faultless run to claim first position.
Magnificent running by Oscar Peres Lopes, from Spain, saw him dominate the Men in the 160km Ultra. His time of 21 hrs 36 min was faster then last year yet he looked decidedly fresh when he crossed the finish line to hug both his wife and border collie.
With the 80km runners leaving the starting blocks on the Saturday before dawn, it fell to legendary runner Dawa Sherpa to bring a special kind of magic to the shorter event. The renowned Nepalese athlete, was in no way awed by the high Pyrenean peaks and managed to obliterate his opposition in a time of under 10hrs.
“It was much tougher than UTMB�, Sherpa said in an interview, explaining that the Alpine trails are groomed for easy running when compared to the technical terrain of the Grand Raid des Pyrenees. The French pulled back a victory on home soil with a blistering run by Christophe Cazau, who crossed the line triumphantly to claim second place on the podium to much fan fare in the bustling Vielle-Aure village square.
An innovative and successful tracking system meant runners could be followed every step of the way along the course. “This not only contributes to the spectacle of the event for the on-line trail community, but also means we can respond immediately and effectively in any distress situation�, said Race Director Michel Fropier. As it was, the event went of without any problems, with positive feedback from competitors.
More information on both the event and ‘Suive GeoFp’ tracking system is available on the www.grandraidpyrenees.com web site.
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