There were dual French victories at the second race of the 2023 Skyrunner® World Series. Local athlete Frederic Tranchand takes home the title for the second time and Clementine Geoffray claims a new female record at Skyrace des Matheysins.
All eyes were on Saint-Honoré today, the host of the second stage of the 2023 circuit, broadcasted live around the world.
Known for its difficult weather conditions, skyrunners were prepared for the worst when they toed the line of the French Skyrace. Although most of the course was in the fog, the highest points of the race broke the cloud line, rewarding runners with clear, incredible views of the French alps.
In the men’s race, Roberto Delorenzi of Switzerland (team Brooks Running) pushed hard in the first climb to take the lead early on, however, Frederic Tranchand (team Scott Running) applied the pressure and stayed hot on his heels for the entire first climb. Just before the ridge, at the 12th kilometre, Tranchand caught Delorenzi and stole the first position. Tranchand crossed the finish line with a time of 2h 25’04” – just four seconds slower than his winning time in 2021. Delorenzifollowed in second place with a time of 2h 29’20”.
In third place, and perhaps the most impressive comeback of the race was Antonio Martinez Perezof Spain (team Scarpa), who stole 6 places in the final 5 kilometres of the race, closing the men’s podium in 2h 30’31”.
“This was crazy!” commented Perez, “Uphill is not my strength so I kept my cool and waited for the final downhill when I knew it would come down to speed. I’m happy with this great start to the season after my win at Calamorro Skyrace. This is another good performance for me that will count towards my position in the overall ranking.”
In the women’s race, French cross-country champion, Clementine Geoffray (team Evadict), claimed the win and a new female record of 2h 54’12” – a spectacular time for the 25 km course with2,000 meters of elevation gain. Although up against a strong female field, Geoffray took the lead from the get-go and held on to it until the end.
“The women were so strong today but I got out ahead early on, found my rhythm and just kept going”, said Geoffray, “I thought Hillary might catch me at one point as she is very good on technical terrain and for me, this is a lot more technical than what I’m used to. The course was amazing and the views from the top were beautiful. I am looking forward to doing more races of the circuit.”
2022 SkyMasters winner, Noemie Vachon (team Brooks Running) also French, pulled off a solid performance, following in second place with a time of 2h 59’46”. Hillary Gerardi of the USA (team Scarpa / Black Diamond) closed the podium with a time of 3h 02’15” – her third time racing Skyrace de Matheysins.
The top 20 of today’s race gained points towards the overall ranking.
The next stop on the circuit is Hochkönig Skyrace, Maria Alm, Austria on the 3rd of June.
Full result list
