Red Bull 400 Courchevel

RED BULL 400

Courchevel Olympic Ski Jump, 10 June 2017

The steepest race in the world Thibaut Baronian and Axelle Mollaret on top

If standing at the top of a ski jump is an impressive experience, having to run up one is, by far, far more unnerving — and that’s exactly what awaited 650 runners today in Courchevel.

It was only once at the bottom of the Olympic Ski Jump that participants in the 1^st French edition of the Red Bull 400 truly grasped the sheer scale of the challenge ahead of them. 400m to cover at a run, a 36-degree gradient, 185m of positive elevation gain, at an altitude of 1,300m.

Without doubt, it was the steepest race of their lives! Fortunately, sunshine, a lively crowd and a great atmosphere were all there to cheer them on.

The heroes of the day were French athletes Thibaut Baronian and Axelle Mollaret.

PUSHED TO THEIR LIMITS

The qualifiers set off this morning at 10.45am, in waves of 40 runners per heat. The 650 competitors could choose to race solo (men & women) or in relay teams (men’s or mixed).

Only 40 women, 40 men and 8 teams per relay category made it through to the finals.

Despite the Savoyard cowbells of spectators who had come to cheer on the runners around the ski jump, their faces were etched with pain. And for good reason — the pace never lets up for a moment. The run-up at the start is only there to build enough speed to tackle the netting laid over the first 150m, on a slope of more than 35 degrees.

The 3^rd zone was the footbridge, a short transition offering a few seconds' recovery before tackling the final section, the ski jump itself. This is where runners dug into their last reserves, all the way to the finish platform, where competitors arrived utterly out of breath.

A GLITTERING CROWD IN COURCHEVEL

Courchevel is well known for its celebrities… This Saturday, there were plenty of famous faces again! But far from showbiz, today it was all about big names in trail running and ski mountaineering.

The favourites lived up to expectations. From the qualifying rounds onwards, Michel Lanne, winner of the CCC in 2016, members of the French Ski Mountaineering Team: Gédéon Pochat, Xavier Gachet, Alexis Sevennec, Robin and Swann Juillaguet, but also Yoann Sert, a French vertical kilometre specialist, and Thibaut Baronian, three-time winner of the Wings for Life race, qualified directly for the finals. Of all of them, it was Thibaut Baronian who set the best time of the first Red Bull 400 edition in France, in 3:27, ahead of Alexis Sevennec and Henri Aymond.

On the women’s side, French Ski Mountaineering Team members Candice Bonnel, French champion in 2016, and Axelle Mollaret, winner of the Verticale Race 2017, each won their qualifying heat to go straight through to the final. A final that was ultimately won by Axelle Mollaret in a time of 4:35, ahead of Ophélie Orset and Laurianne Plaçais.