Lavaredo Ultra Trail in Italy, Western States in the USA and the Marathon du Mont-Blanc in France, this weekend, June 29-30, 2024, just has too much to choose from in ultra and trail running.
Let’s start in Italy, with one of the most beautiful races of the UTMB World Series; the Lavaredo Ultra Trail in Cortina d’Ampezzo, in the heart of the Dolomites. The queen race is the Lavaredo 120k, which has 5.800 metres of elevation. The start is this evening, June 28 at 11 pm.
Super strong line-up
The men’s race has amazing runners at the start: Tom Evans (Great Britain), Andreas Reiterer (Italy), Thibaut Garrivier (France), Hannes Namberger (Germany), Germain Grangier (France), Jean-Philippe Tschumi (Swiss), Pau Capell (Spain) and Andre Rodrigues (Portugal). All runners with a UTMB Index of over 900 or just below 900. Also back at the start line: Jonas Russi (Swiss, UTMB 880), the winner of last year.
Evans won Western States last year, but has this year chosen for Lavaredo. He started the year strong with the 3th place at Transvulcania La Palma Island Ultra. For Andreas Reiterer it’s a home run. The Italian La Sportiva athlete won this year already the K65 Panorama Ultra at the Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival in Austria and the Garda Trentino Trail (44k) in Italy. He did disappoint at the European Off-Road Championships in France, where he only finished 28th. That was a 58k race, while Reiterer normally gets better when the race becomes longer. Plus he’s always stronger on Italian soil, as he proved by winning the Ultra Trail Chianti Castles 103k race, during the Chianti Ultra Trail.
All winners
Garrivier was this year already second at the Maxi-Race Lac D’Annecy, the 94 kilometres race (5.000m+) in France. He’s also the number six of last year’s UTMB. Namberger is the winner of last year’s Eiger Ultra Trail 103,7k race (6.542m+). Grangier is the number 3 of last year’s UTMB.
The women’s race will be a fight between Rosanna Buchaur (Germany), defending champion Fione Porte (France) and Giuditta Turini (Italy). Nancy Jiang (New-Zealand), Naomi Brand (South-Africa) and Elena Horton (USA) are outsiders.
Marathon du Mont-Blanc
On the other side of the Alps Remi Bonnet (Swiss, Salomon) is returning to the Golden Trail World Series to take on Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco, Nnormal) at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc. Sophia Laukli (USA, Salomon) is back as well, after her injury. She will have to face Maude Mathys (Swiss, Asics), who has started the season strong with a first place in Japan and second in China.
Bonnet won the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) in 2022 and 2023, but hasn’t run a Golden Trail race this season yet, after his long and successful ski mountaineering season. So the big question is, is he in peak form to challenge Elazzaoui? The Morrocan trail runner is leading the GTWS at this moment. He recently showed his good form by finishing second at Zegama, after the unbeatable Kilian Jornet.
Other potential winners are Roberto Delorenzi (Swiss, Brooks), Bart Przedwojewski (Poland, Salomon), the number three of Zegama, Daniel Pattis (Italy, Brooks) and ofcourse Robert Pkemoi (Kenia, Joma) and Francesco Puppi (Italy, Nike Trail).
How good is Nordskar?
Laukli and Mathys aren’t the only strong trail runners who are starting in Chamonix. Madalina Florea (Romenia, Salomon), Judith Wyder (Swiss, Hoka), the number two of last year at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, Miao Yao (China, Salomon) are starting as well. Just like Sylvia Nordskar (Norway, Hoka), the winner of Zegama, Theres Leboeuf (Swiss, Compressport) and Caitlin Fielder (New-Zealand, Salomon).
Photos: Martina Valmassoi and Haugeard Gaetan
