Ghisonaccia (France) (AFP)

An ultra-trail star, Xavier Thévenard has set himself a big challenge: to break the record for a legendary trail, the GR 20 in Corsica. Or 30 hours of a crazy race, beautiful but trying, which will start on Monday in the moonlight.

"It's a hell of a job! It's beautiful, it's technical. You can't compare to another place, there isn't a place comparable to Corsica," Xavier Thévenard told AFP.

The triple winner of the Ultra-Trail-du-Mont-Blanc (UTMB) - a legendary race reserved for enthusiasts of extreme endurance racing - has in its sights the 180 km and 14,000 m of difference in height signed in 31:06 in June 2016 by another great champion, François D'haene.

"There is nothing like the GR 20, we often put our hands up, it climbs everywhere. There are so many obstacles, it's a puzzle, you can hurt yourself at any moment, you have to really watch out! You have to see it to believe it! "says the Jurassian, who knows Corsica well when he is licensed in a Corsican trail club and his parents have lived on the island for several years.

- 4:00 am -

The trailer (Team Asics) will also surround itself with many Corsican runners in its attempt: Of the 30 pacers who will take turns - the equivalent of hares on a marathon to accompany and guide him - 25 are Corsicans. Their knowledge of this very particular field is essential.

And among them, Guillaume Pedretti, who had lowered the record to 32 hours in July 2014 to "bring it back to Corsica" after the performance of the Spaniard Kilian Jornet in June 2009 (32h54).

"You always have to be attentive to the steps and where you set foot, and that's what weighs us down at one point. Unlike a race, the team will make it go to the end. I know all the way, I will try to be discreet. Let him take care of his effort and nothing else ", underlines the champion of Corte, who will find Thévenard at the 4th stage of his journey.

Xavier Thévenard will start Monday at 4:00 am, a moment of full moon to make the most of a very bright night in Calenza, in the north of the island, to reach Conca in the south.

Only the route in this direction can be approved.

- 20,000 hikers per year -

"We registered with the French Federation of Mountains and Climbing (FFME), we paid 2000 euros to try the record. Xavier will have a pass book that he will have to stamp, the old way, controllers along the route ", explains his manager Thomas Michaud.

Thévenard, who has already crossed the GR 20 in 2019 but with 2 team members and over 4 days - has never raced more than 24 hours. The first part of the route, the one to the north of the island, will be technical and rather slow (it takes between 16 and 18 hours to make the first 80 kilometers).

The weather forecast is mild, with temperatures ranging from 19 to 25 degrees throughout the adventure, which should end Tuesday between 9h and 11h.

The GR 20 is one of the most famous long-distance trails (GR) in Europe (out of 343 GR listed in France). Some 20,000 hikers venture there each year for a 16-day crossing for the average walker.

The GR 20 started a "performance" chapter in 1988. The first record was signed Pierrot Griscelli and Guy Genovesi in 56 hours. A time that will take a slap of 10 hours the following year with Jean-François Luciani.

© 2020 AFP