Golden Trail Series: Marathon du Mont Blanc
Kilian Jornet set to lace up his Salomon running shoes at Marathon du Mont Blanc. Another star-studded field convenes in Chamonix for 2nd Golden Trail Series race
He’s back! After missing the first race of the new Golden Trail Series at Zegama, Spain, Salomon trail running athlete Kilian Jornet is expected to make his return from injury at the Marathon du Mont Blanc in Chamonix on Sunday, July 1 against another deep field. Jornet will join some of the biggest stars in trail running for race number two of the Golden Trail Series, including Zegama winner Remi Bonnet of Switzerland, who won both the marathon and the Vertical K in the Spanish Basque Country in May. On the women’s side, Zegama winner Ida Nilsson from Team Salomon will toe the line at Chamonix with the hope of extending her points lead in the female standings of the Golden Trail Series. Like in the men’s race, the women’s field is extremely strong.
Jornet, the defending champion in Chamonix, is always a favorite, but his race fitness is still unknown after sustaining a fractured fibula in the Pierra Menta ski-mo race this winter. With the 23-year-old Bonnet announcing his great early-season form with the victory at Zegama, he will certainly be one that the other runner’s will keep an eye on in the early stages in Chamonix. Last year’s second place finisher and relentless climber Stian-Angermund-Vik from Norway also figures to be in the mix as the race plays out.
“I don’t know how I will feel coming back. I’m happy the recovery has gone very fast. I was able to start running pretty soon after the injury,” – Jornet said recently. “When it comes to longer races, I need to see how it reacts, so it’s a surprise for me and it will be for the others. I don’t know how it will be.”
Team Nike will send three talented road runners to the starting line, which is sure to shake up the field, at least until Vallorcine at the 18km mark. The presence of Patrick Smyth, Alexander Varner and Ryan Bak is likely to alter the race strategy among the field. Smyth has run a 1:02 half marathon and Bak has run a 29:14 for 10,000 meters. If they are able to run a team race, it should make waves among the pack.
Other men to watch include American men Sage Canaday (Team Hoka) and Matt Flaherty (Salomon), Swiss runners Marc Lauenstein (Salomon) and Stephane Wenk (Team Scott), Frenchmen Thibaut Baronian (Salomon), Alexis Sevenec (team Scott), Xavier Thevenard (Team Asics) and Francois Gonon (Team Scott), and the Czech Republic’s Robert Krupička. Keep an eye on Italy’s Davide Magnini from Team Salomon, who will be competing in his first marathon after success at shorter distances.
Though she has been winning in bunches over the last year, Nilsson will also have stiff competition in the women’s race. American Megan Kimmel (team Salomon) is the defending champion in Chamonix and will challenge the Swede, as will Spain’s Laura Orgue of Team Salomon (2nd at Zegama) and Ruth Croft of Team Scott (3rd at Zegama). American Magdalena Boulet and France’s Amandine Ferrato from Team Hoka, Silvia Rampazzo of Team Tornado and YiOu Wang from Team Under Armour also figure to be in the hunt.
Still, the focus of the weekend will be on Jornet, who announced some tentative plans for his trail running season this week. “After Mont Blanc and, depending on how my leg reacts, I’d like to take part in the Golden Trail Series, with the Sierre Zinal and Ring of Steall, and also some Skyrunning races such as Comapedrosa, the Trofeo KIMA and the Limone,” – Jornet said. “Eventually, if the recovery goes well and I can run further, I’d like to do an ultra such as the UTMB at the end of the season.”
LIVE BROADCAST OF MARATHON DU MONT BLANC
The entire Marathon du Mont Blanc will be broadcast in real-time on Salomon Running’s social media channels. It will be co-hosted by Salomon trail running athlete Max King (3rd place finisher at the race a year ago) and Majell Backhausen, Salomon’s Global Community Manager for Trail Running, an accomplished ultra-runner himself. With Salomon brand ambassadors stationed along the entire 42km course and others using e-bikes to follow the runners, the broadcast will capture the race as it unfolds. Trail running fans can watch the broadcast on the Salomon Running Facebook page and Salomon TV’s YouTube channel and can share those links on their own social media pages.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN TRIAL SERIES
The Golden Trail Series combines five of the most iconic “short-distance” trail races on the planet into a dream tour for both athletes and fans. A €100,000 prize pool will be shared equally among the overall top 10 men & women at a Grand Final at the Otter Trail in South Africa in October. Each of the top 10 will travel with a friend or partner of their choice for the trip of a lifetime to compete for their chosen cause or charity.
For photos and more, visit www.goldentrailseries.com
GOLDEN TRAIL SERIES STANDINGS (after 1 race)
MAN:
Remi Bonnet – 100 points
Stian Angermund-Vik – 88 points
Bartlomiej Przedwojewski – 78 points
Marc Lauenstein – 72 points
Oriol Cardona – 68 points
WOMAN:
Ida Nilsson – 100 points
Laura Orgue – 88 points
Ruth Croft – 78 points
Densa Dragomir – 72 points
Sheila Alves – 68 points
