One is world champion in ski mountaineering, the other is on a World Cup podium in cross-country skiing.
Rémi Bonnet and Sophia Laukli won the Marathon du Mont-Blanc on Sunday 25 June 2023, a 44.5 km trail.
Rémi Bonnet, a first in Chamonix
He had ticked it for a while, never before on the podium of the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, a race yet tailored for his profile. “There are quite long climbs, I manage to make significant gaps,” he explained after crossing the 44.5 km and 3:35.04 am lines, just over five minutes ahead of the American Eli Hemming.
“It’s nice to win it at least once, it’s a line I wanted to write on my list, it’s cool.” Double world champion ski mountaineering this winter, he turned to trail running at the end of winter. “I started trail training late, but I feel it comes nicely. When you’re in a positive movement, everything is easier.”
The Swiss rider is now turning to the stage in Sierre-Zinal (12 August), at home in Switzerland, where he will find the one who was one of his idols, Kilian Jornet , before aiming for the general classification of the Golden Trail Series.
Sopha Laukli, from the JO-2022 trail.
Sophia Laukli created a surprise for the women, after a solo effort of 4:12'39, 32nd overall, first woman with 12 minutes advantage over the Chinese Miao Yao. “At one point I was afraid I was going the wrong way, I was afraid I was going too fast, I was afraid I was going to explode on the way…” she laughed at the finish, happy to qualify as a «marathon runner». The cross-country ski specialist, 15th in the 30 km of the JO-2022 in Beijing, on the podium of the 10 km of Val di Fiemme last winter in the World Cup, the American has made the trail her second goal, with a bib on her back for only two years. «It’s fun to do races like that, I like it, even if my priority is skiing.»
Le Dauphné
