2nd DYNAFIT MOONtain RACES COURCHEVEL - 3 July 2012

Second win for Stéphanie Duc and Arnaud Bonin.

Another fine success for this 2nd stage of the DYNAFIT MOONtain RACES COURCHEVEL (DMRC) this Tuesday 3 July, with 95 participants on the start line of this 9.3 km trail (100 m of elevation loss and 800 m of elevation gain) linking Courchevel Moriond to the Grand Plan refuge (2,280 m). From 8.30 pm the competitors set off in a time trial at dusk to finish by the light of the full moon. All were delighted to run in this special, soothing atmosphere, with night falling stride by stride in the middle of the mountains, and by the warm welcome at the refuge from the keeper Lionel Blanc and his whole team, who peeled kilos of vegetables to prepare the cauldron soup, much appreciated at the finish.

A new record for Stéphanie Duc

The time of 1h02min38s set by Julia Combe on the first stage of the DMRC was smashed. After winning the Cross du Mont-Blanc a few days earlier, Stéphanie Duc of the Club VEO 2000 La Plagne set a new record of 58min28s. Kaline Osaki took second place in 1h05min and Gaëlle Martin completed the podium in 1h09min06s.

Among the men, the record of 47min59s set by Julien Rancon on 5 June was not threatened by Arnaud Bonin of the Club Ambèrieu Marathon who, after a fine second place at the Manigod vertical kilometre last Wednesday, only 14 s behind Kilian Jornet, won this 2nd DMRC in 50min16s ahead of the 2005 and 2006 triathlon vice-European champion, Cédric Fleureton of Team Champion System, who finished in 51min10, and Marc Maroud of the Club VEO 2000 La Plagne in 51min54s.

While waiting for the next DMRC on 31 July, another opportunity will be given to runners to be part of the DMRC overall standings at the “Courch’à pied” on Saturday 21 July.

Indeed, the first part of the course of the National Mountain Running Challenge event (17 km) will be identical to that of the DMRC and the time will count towards the overall standings.