Round 3 / TRAIL - PLUM KV COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 9 August 2017

3rd round of the Plum KV Courchevel for Yoann Stuck and Corinne Favre.

The last 100 metres of this course, with 1,000 metres of elevation gain over 5 km, were covered in a fog you could cut with a knife by the 61 entrants in the 2017 Plum KV Courchevel trail running finale this Wednesday 9 August. The weather conditions for this race were nonetheless ideal for setting a good time.

Yoann Stuck is proof of that. He won in 40min39s, coming within a second of the record he set in the second round. Arthur Blanc of ESF Arêches, second in 42min30s, also took the 2017 ESF challenge. 2011 trail running world champion Erik Clavery, 10th last Sunday in the New Balance X-Trail Courchevel over 54 km, completed the podium in 44min 06s. Among the women, Corinne Favre won in 52min37s ahead of Austrian Marita Kroehn (56min54s) and Catherine Juillaguet (57min40s). By 4 small seconds, Pascale Gachet Mauroz of ESF Courchevel 1550 missed her goal of breaking the one-hour barrier, posting a time of one hour and 4 seconds, but she took a fine 4th place and won the 2017 ESF challenge among the women instructors.

Xavier Gachet and Axelle Mollaret take the 2017 records

This summer, 3 rounds were held, with 166 starts and 137 participants ranked. The honours go, as last year, to Xavier Gachet and Axelle Mollaret, both members of the French ski mountaineering team, setting the 2017 records of 37min56s and 43min07s respectively. They were each rewarded with a cheque for €500. Yoann Sert (39min) and Stéphanie Duc (49min52s) take second place in the overall standings ahead of Gédéon Pochat (39min15s) and Corinne Favre (52min37s).

As usual, this final round ended in style, like the famous Gauls, around a good cauldron soup (without the magic potion) simmered by La Poële à Philibert. Albert Félisaz, president of the binding company Plum, congratulated all the participants, joined by Guillaume Prin, president of Courchevel Sports Outdoor Montagne et Escalade, and his whole team of members and volunteers for the success of this competition. Everyone is invited to meet again next winter for ski mountaineering at the Plum KV Courchevel on Fridays 19 January, 16 February and 16 March 2018.

X2 KV Courchevel Challenge 2018

The X2 KV Courchevel Challenge 2018 is open to the 137 competitors who took part in a trail running event this summer and who will take part in at least one ski mountaineering race next winter at the Plum KV Courchevel. The ranking for this challenge will be the sum of the best trail running and ski mountaineering times for each participant, and the best men’s and women’s times of the year will be rewarded with prize money of €600, with €300 for the runners-up and €100 for the third-placed.

X3 KV Courchevel Challenge 2018

These 3 trail running Vertical Kilometre races count towards the “X3 KV Courchevel Challenge 2018”. To be ranked, you must take part at least once in each of the 3 Vertical Kilometre events on offer in Courchevel. Of the 137 competitors who took part in a trail running event this summer, only those who take part in a cycling event at the 2017 “Dynastar KV Courchevel” (as a reminder, the finale is on 15 August) and in a touring ski event at the 2018 “Plum KV Courchevel” will be eligible for this challenge. The ranking will be the sum of the best trail running, cycling and ski mountaineering times for each participant, and the best men’s and women’s times of the year will receive prize money of €800, with €500 for the runners-up and €200 for the third-placed.

A good way to prepare for the extraordinary triathlon, which has become the unmissable event for outdoor sports enthusiasts, combining these 3 disciplines in one day, the “Dynastar X3 Courchevel”, which will take place on 15 April 2018 (you can register online for this final event at www.courchevelsportsoutdoor.com).