On Friday night, two of this 12 months’s quickest and maximum completed ultra-trail athletes on this planet took most sensible honours at Grand Raid de los angeles Réunion (sometimes called the Diagonale des Fous, or “Diagonal of Fools”), the 167.3-km mountain race on Reunion Island within the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and Mauritius. The 2023 Hardrock 100 champion, France’s Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz, and ultimate 12 months’s UTMB champion, Katie Schide of the U.S., had been the primary female and male athletes to reach on the end. Dunand-Pallaz is most effective the 3rd athlete to win each the Hardrock 100 and Diagonale des Fous in the similar 12 months (the opposite two are Courtney Dauwalter in 2022 and Julien Chorier in 2011).
Dunand-Pallaz, 30, led from gun to tape in his first look on the race, which two-time Quebec Mega Path champion Kelsey Hogan described as “brutally difficult” in a function about her revel in finally 12 months’s race printed in Canadian Working’s path particular factor. The direction crosses the island from south to north, whilst runners climb a surprising 10,000m; and the race begins at 9 p.m., so the primary 8 hours are spent in darkness. Dunand-Pallaz completed in 23 hours, 21 mins and 23 seconds, virtually an hour forward of his compatriot, Germain Grangier, who completed moment at UTMB in September; Grangier was once once more moment on Friday, in 24:00:54. Jean-Philippe Tschumi of Switzerland was once 3rd, in 24:28:36.
Schide, who completed eleventh total, crossed the road in 26:34:26. On the time of e-newsletter she was once the one feminine finisher; Camille Bruyas of France was once in moment place and Emilie Maroteaux, additionally of France, was once in 3rd place.
Francois D’Haene, who has received this race 4 occasions, controlled an eighth-place end Friday in 29:12:41, after coping with a foot fracture and hip harm for the previous a number of months.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz wins the 2023 #DiagonaleDesFous in 23:21:23!
Having received the @hardrock100 previous this 12 months, Aurélien joins @courtdauwalter (2022) and Julien Chorier (2011) as the one other people to have received @GrandRaid974 and @hardrock100 in the similar calendar 12 months.
— Liam (@aidstationfireb) October 20, 2023
Because of the race’s shut courting with Quebec Mega Path, there are a couple of Canadians at the direction, together with 2023 Quebec Mega Path champion Kevin Biggs and 2022 Quebec Mega Path second-place finisher Jeff Cauchon.
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