Chamonix (France) (AFP)
A loop of 171 km around the mountain running at the rate of sometimes excessive weather, day and night: the flagship event of the Ultra-Trail of Mont Blanc was launched Friday at 18:00 in Chamonix for 2300 runners addicts to extreme endurance.
A human tide has poured from the city center of Chamonix to rally the mountains, under the cries of thousands of people, came to encourage ultra-trailers having their program 10,000 m of elevation gain across three countries (France, Italy and Switzerland).
The long race should be played in 20 hours and the big favorite is Xavier Thevenard, in the running to score history with a fourth unprecedented victory. He will have trouble with Americans Tim Tollefson and Zach Miller.
As is the tradition, the riders took the start at the sound of the music of the movie 'The Chariots of Fire' of Vangelis, avoiding the rain, invited from the last hour after a very sunny day.
The first starters started in a short stride, but soon the rest of the peloton left the starting area at a pace, because of the large number of runners. The emotion was strong, many amateurs did not hold back their tears by taking the start of a test considered as the Grail in the middle of the trail.
The participants, of the 100 different nationalities, will have to run all the night, equipped with their headlamp, taking advantage of points of control and refueling to feed and equip themselves according to the weather.
It should be quite hot and thunderstorms could break out at the end of the journey.
The winner is expected Saturday around 14h. The time barrier was set at 46.30.
© 2019 AFP