It has been talked about for a while now as the nature challenge of the late summer, the Ultra-Trail Côte d’Azur Mercantour, the perilous race to be done individually or in relay, started yesterday on the Quai des États-Unis in Nice, to finish on Sunday, September 6th, near Saint Martin-Vésubie at an altitude of 950 meters after approximately 140 km and 50 hours of racing.
But it was indeed in 26 hours and 8 minutes that local runner Benoît Outters covered this long distance, an achievement. He arrived around 4 p.m. today, Saturday, September 5th. This Frenchman had already won the Cipières Trail, which is 60 km long, earlier this year.
Summary of the Event
The official start from the Bay of Angels was signaled around 1 p.m., but it was indeed nearly an hour later that the actual race began at Place Alexandre Médecin.
Until Sunday, no less than 700 runners will traverse many iconic sites of the Alpes-Maritimes, like the Cime de la Valette de Prals, and especially the Pépoiri, seen as the peak of the event located at 2,674 meters.
Between the sea and the mountains, runners came in droves to participate in this first edition of the ultra-trail in the department. We could feel the extreme eagerness from the challengers just minutes before the start. There was a great deal of concentration, but also emotion, as some participants more than others treat this event as a deeply personal, physical, and psychological challenge.
Reminder of the Towns Along the Race Path
Start: Nice, Falicon, Aspremont, Tourette-Levens, Cantaron, Châteauneuf-Villevieille, Bendejun, Coaraze, Levens, Duranus, Utelle, La Tour-sur-Tinée, Clans, Lantosque, Roquebillière, Belvédère, Valdeblore/La Colmiane, Venanson, finish: Saint Martin-Vésubie.
