Act 1 - DYNAFIT MOONtain RACES COURCHEVEL - 10 June 2014

Corail Bugnard and Clovis Dalban-Moreynas open the 3rd season of the Dynafit MOONtain Races Courchevel.

The kick-off of the first stage of the 2014 season of the Dynafit MOONtain Races Courchevel (DMRC) was given on Tuesday 10 June 2014. This night trail of 9.3 km (100 m of descent and 800 m of elevation gain), linking Courchevel Moriond (1650) to the Grand Plan refuge at an altitude of 2,280 m, held every full-moon Tuesday evening as a time trial, will be offered again on 8 July, 12 August and 9 September. Throughout the season, the best specialists of the discipline will be able to fight for the season record or fine-tune their training. As for all trail running enthusiasts, they will have 4 opportunities to run in an exceptional setting by the light of the full moon. A unique opportunity for all participants and companions to enjoy the friendly atmosphere created by the volunteers of the organising association “Courchevel Sports Alpinisme” and to have something to eat at the refuge around a soup from the cauldron prepared by Bernard Chardon and Emily Roux.

For this first stage of the season, it was impossible not to think of Lionel Blanc, “Keeper of the Grand Plan refuge from summer 2007 to 2013, who died on 27 December 2013 in an avalanche”, who for 2 years had gone to great lengths with his whole team to give the runners a warm welcome. At the finish, the 66 participants of this first stage did not fail to thank him with applause, and a trophy in his likeness will be presented on 9 September to the men’s and women’s record holders over the whole season, in addition to the €500 prize money and the Dynafit outfit.

Some big names were there for this first climb, including Clovis Dalban-Moreynas of the Adidas team and Corail Bugnard of the CABB / Tecnica team, who set the first reference times of this new DMRC season.

Clovis Dalban-Moreynas set the best time in 51min55s ahead of Rémi Weisrock of the club VEO 2000 La Plagne (55min41s) and Charly Allerme of the club Courchevel Sports Alpinisme (56min04s).
In the women’s race, Corail Bugnard won in 1h00min42s ahead of Cécile Caullireau of the club VEO 2000 La Plagne (1h10min25s) and Laure Chardin of the Haute Tarentaise Athletic Club (1h12min14s).

This year there are new features on the programme, with the DMRC being entered in the Skyrunning circuit “Region Series Alpes 2014”. For the standings, points will be awarded to each runner after each event and then added together to award the title of champion in the “Région Series Alpes 2014”. The top 3 men and women in the overall standings will be rewarded with prize money. (Bonuses will be given for the final event. All athletes who finish at least 1 event out of the 4 offered will be ranked.)

A challenge of the French Ski Schools (ESF) is also offered to ESF instructors, and each Tuesday a special ESF ranking is made, rewarding the 3 best men’s and women’s times. In this first event, Maxime Cherchi of the ESF Courchevel 1850 opened the ball with a time of 1h01min19s.

This year, it will once again be possible to be ranked in the Courchevel Vertical Challenge 2014 (CVC), and to do so you must take part at least once in each of the 3 events offered in Courchevel. This means having put on touring skis in the 4th season of the Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel held every Wednesday last winter, getting on your bike for the Cyclo’Courch (every Wednesday from 2 July to 6 August and on Sunday 17 August 2014) and lacing up your trainers for the Dynafit MOONtain Races Courchevel (every Tuesday evening of the full moon from 10 June to 9 September 2014). The best times in each discipline will be taken into account for the CVC 2014 standings.