We know it is not an ultra but we reckon the Marathon du Mont Blanc is worth a special write up as it is a bucket list event for so many of you, and you can also check out that ultra distance.
Kilian Jornet stormed through it in 3:55:54 to take first place and prove that he is back to full fitness after breaking his leg last winter in a ski-mo race.
It was a very good day for Salomon athletes as a whole as they took all top five places: Marc Lauenstein (2nd in 3:58:15), Stian Angermund-Vik (3rd in 4:00:07), Thibaut Baronian (4th in 4:00:49) and Aritz Egea (5th in 4:02:28).
“On the ascent to Posettes (22km) I could see it was going well,” Kilian said. “After that I knew there was a technical descent where I wasn’t going to lose time. I tried to set a good speed, aiming to go a little faster but controlling so as not to get cramps or heat stroke”.
“It was very hot and that made the race hard,” Kilian added. “It’s a matter of managing it well, to set out to control thing so as to reach the end which is where the race really begins in order to avoid muscular problems or an attack of heat stroke.”
The competition was tough and Kilian saved himself till around the 37km mark when he pulled away for the win.
In the women’s race, Salomon athletes gave way to Team Scott’s Liz Croft who ran an excellent, consistent race to win in 4:37:30. Salomon athletes Ida Nilsson and (4:39:37) and Eli Gordon (4:41:01) came in second and third.
KIT: Kilian ran in the S/Lab Ultra shoe, with a Vibe Technology midsole from the Salomon road running range because he said it offered a lot of cushion on the Mont Blanc terrain.
