SKYRACE Matheysins: ouch!
Altitude, commitment, spectacular course route, the Skyrace des Matheysins did not disappoint! A trail race for the toughest of the tough. Even tougher thanks to a weather forecast that left no-one in in the shelter of this leg of the Skyrunning World Series, the only one in France. Snow, rain, freezing fog, wind, just what you need to keep you moving…
Story & pictures: Franck Oddoux/Test4outside.com
28km, and 1900m+ of vertical climb, 450 runners from all over the world were plunged into the clouds that were clinging to the summits. In Skyrunning, you have to have agile feet and chamois’ lungs to gallop at full pelt on the ridges. Because here, there few places you can really unleash and run, without a fatal risk. On the Matheysins’ Skyrace, the Devil’s Trailclimb draws the runners straight up into the skies. The exit is out onto a snow covered ledge, to the start of long icy splendor. Then you climb up to a range of ridges, the Wolf’s Ears. The lifeline materializes as a rope snaking out of the atmosphere: this is mountainous, slippery, perched and super-technical. Down one valley, some competitors are ploughed down by tumbling snow (see photos), we were there to capture this heated terrifying moment… When you think that on most trails, participants grumble as soon as the course becomes a bit vertical or missing a short handrail… Next to a Skyrunning route, it is a walk in the park.
On a razor’s edge the bobbing tightrope walkers pass by like fighter pilots: Polish Bartlomiej Przedwojewski (2h35’10’’), French Théo Detienne (2h35’43’’) and Slovenian Rok Bratina (2h36’37’’). The women are just as impressive with fire in their feet and an iron will. Russian Elena Rukhliada (2h57’05’’) grabs the line before Hillary Gerardi (3h03’23’’) and Katie Schide (3h05’10’’).
Transamericana avec Rickey Gates
