Stellar challenge in the 173 kilometres, the queen race which started at dawn on Friday from Breuil-Cervinia and, for many, has not yet finished. Instead, Franco Collé (Team Kailas) from Valle d’Aosta finished with an amazing time and returned to leave his mark after his retirement last year. Overturning all distance tables, the champion from Gressoney returned to Breuil-Cervinia at 8.36 this morning, after 26 hours 29’15” of adventure on paths, rocky sections and glaciers. He ran most of the race with Andrea Macchi (Dinamo Team), together they faced the night, then on the climb towards Trockener Steg and Teodulo, the winning acceleration of the Aosta Valley. Macchi finished in 27 hours 15’15”, also significantly lowering last year’s time (33 hours 38’22”) when he won together with Galen Reynolds (Team Montane), fourth in this edition. The podium was completed by the Nepalese Sangé Sherpa (Team Kailas) in 28 hours 55’07”, good at keeping the position conquered in Zinal in the late afternoon of Friday.
Very different climatic conditions compared to a year ago. The sultry heat, even at high altitudes, was a distant memory; in this edition the competitors have in fact found temperatures even below 10 degrees, with a few drops of rain during the first kilometers of the race. Climate appreciated by the competitors, called to overcome a positive difference in altitude of over 12,000 metres.
In the women’s competition triumph and great emotion for Elisabetta Negra who fought closely with Lisa Borzani up to the life base of Sankt Niklaus. At Col Collon she took the lead, then the Paduan – now moved to the mountains of Valle d’Aosta – took the lead again, taking advantage of the flat stretches. A push and pull that lasted until the second life base, when Elisabetta Negra continued alone, reaching the finish line in 31 hours 24’39”. To complete the podium Lisa Borzani (34 hours 04’27”) and the Basque Silvia Trigueros Garrote, winner a year ago and this time forced to chase. For her a time of 36 hours 55’02”.
Nice head-to-head also in the 55 kilometres, a race included in the TREK+ project of the Interreg Italy-Switzerland cross-border cooperation programme. At the top of the men’s race, Gabriel Santos Rueda and Jean Luc Perron took turns throughout the morning, with the Argentine who, despite an oversight on the course, managed to win after 6 hours 10’44”; behind him the Valle d’Aosta, who arrived after 12’56”, while in third position was his countryman Julien Chatrian, with a gap of 23’30”. The women’s race was one-way and went to the Polish Iwona Górowska in 7 hours 16’42”. She preceded Enrica Scapin and Valentina Pippo, who arrived together with a gap of 42’31”.
The 28 kilometers (1,750 meters D+) was won by the Piedmontese Gabriele Nicola (Climb Runners) who said goodbye to his fellow adventurers in the Teodulo area and arrived all alone in 2 hours 47’01”, signing another record. Behind him, trailing by 7’14 “, Paolo Dellavesa (Spectrum Outdoor Movement), with third step of the podium for Gabriele Alippi (Falchi Lecco) at 7’39”. Very short female classification, defined only at the end. The winner was Chiara Zenato from the Aosta Valley in 3 hours 26’07”, able to precede Emilie Arsenijevic by 47” and Bianca Campidelli by 1’29”.
In Trail 16 (1,000 meters D+) agile success for the Spanish Lleir Barcons Comaposada, arriving in the heart of the tourist resort in 1 hour 29’17”, with 3’47” on the returning Pierre Yves Oddone and 4’43” on Roberto Antonelli. In the women’s field, the top step of the podium for the Scottish Sally Wallis (1 hour 47’43”), ahead of Marcella Pont, separated by 8’39” and Elena Laterza who reached 12’58”.