Swiss Canyon Trail

After months without sporting events, the canton of Neuchâtel took on the role of pioneer by welcoming the 25th edition of the Swiss Canyon Trail to the Val-de-Travers this weekend. Thanks a strict health and safety protocol and the discipline of the 2,000 or so participants and 600 volunteers the competition ran perfectly. The event ended with a beautiful finish in the prestigious 111K with a tie for 1st place in the men’s race between Benoit Girondel (FRA) and Hugo Deck (FRA), while Switzerland’s Laurence Yerly was victorious in the women’s. Also on Saturday, the 51K determined the athletes who will represent Switzerland at the next trail running world championship. On Sunday, the always-popular 31K delivered a magnificent spectacle worthy of the “pros” won by France’s Simon Paccard and Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton. Credit : Patrick Di Lenardo The first major trail race run since the beginning of the pandemic, the Swiss Canyon Trail was held this weekend in Couvet, Switzerland in particular conditions. The event was organised under the control of the canton of Neuchâtel that imposed strict sanitary measures. The authorities gave the Swiss Canyon Trail the green light as a test event. The results were very positive as noted by the President of the Neuchâtel Council of State Laurent Favre: “The sanitary conditions were impeccable. The organisers were very rigorous; more so than required”. Measures taken by the Swiss Canyon Trail to ensure the safety of all participants and volunteers included limiting the number of entries, requiring negative PCR or antigen tests for everyone entering the site, social distancing, and a special protocol at refreshment areas. There was also an on-site test centre; none of the 900 tests administered on-site were positive. “It was an enormous amount of work that shook up the organisation. But it was the one condition to be able to organise the event”, added Patrick Christinat, President of the Organising Committee. Credit : Patrick Di Lenardo The Service of consumption and veterinary affairs (SCAV) was also very satisfied: “The rare points of detail noted on Saturday were immediately resolved by the organisers who collaborated completely, which allowed everyone to participate in excellent sanitary conditions. In the end, the event respected Covid protection protocols perfectly”, explained Pierre-François Gobat, head of the service who spent the weekend observing the race. A full debrief will be organised and a report will be addressed to the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP). Credit : Patrick Di Lenardo 111K Once again accompanied by a fellow racer, Benoit Girondel crossed the finish line victorious. After winning in 2019 alongside Martin Kern, this time it was with Hugo Deck. They joined forces to best Jean-Philippe Tschumi (CH) who completed the podium in the most prestigious category. In the women’s competition, Neuchâtel’s Laurence Yerly (Cernier) won the 25th edition putting a large gap between herself, Caroline Muller (Mauraz) and Ophélie Rossignol (Geneva). 51K – Swiss Trail Running Championship A resident of the canton of Schwytz Tobias Baggenstos (Gersau) was crowned 2021 Swiss trail running champion, followed by Pascal Egli (Leysin VD) and Ramon Manetsch (Köniz BE). In the women’s championship, Emma Pooley (Hausen am Albis ZH) took the win in front of Sara Escobar Carron (Ravoire VS) and local runner Ariane Wilhem (Fontainemelon NE). 31K Billed as a fun race for all levels, the 31K resembled more of an elite race with particularly quick runners. Finishing ten minutes faster than predicted by the course planners, Simon Paccard (FRA) finished first in front of fellow Frenchman Yves Heloury and Germany’s Hannes Namberger. Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton (Dombresson) won the women’s event by a large margin in front of Marie Concalvez (FRA) et another Swiss runner Nathalie Geiser (Neuchâtel).

Credit : Rémy Duding What an event. The 24th edition of the Swiss Canyon Trail, held in the Val-de-Travers region of Switzerland’s Neuchâtel canton, was held from 7-9 June. More than 2,000 runners took part in the six races (105K, 75K, 45K, 25K, Relay and Nordic Walking) under perfect weather and with no major incidents to report. On Sunday afternoon, 9 June, just before noon the final finisher of the race’s main event, the 105K (official distance 112km) finished in a time of 30 hours, 29 minutes. Symbolically the last athlete arrived in Couvet just as the weekend heralded its first drops of rain. A record 2005 runners took part in the event, enjoying the race’s many technical challenges and enchanting scenery. A great spectacle Race organiser and founder Patrick Christinat gave a tired but satisfied smile after the close of the event, remarking: “The results of this 24th edition are extremely positive. The races were closely contested with athletes, many elite international runners, raising the level of the event. They, like, the numerous, dedicated volunteers, supporters, and people involved in the organisation of the event made it all possible.” The Swiss Canyon Trail is now truly an international event of repute. Never before has it been contested by so many runners including leading athletes and a record number of overseas entrants. “We have proved that from now on we are playing in the big league and have become a reference point", rejoiced Christinat, who thus saw the considerable efforts made over the past two decades rewarded. The organisers will continue to work on developing the race and making it an enticing opportunity for athletes. “We are looking for excellence across all levels, and constantly looking for ways to improve our organization,” continued Christinat. Swiss Championships for the 25th edition The perfect weather, beautiful nature, challenge racecourses, excellent infrastructure at the Couvet Sports Centre, the support of the communes of Val-de-Travers and Sainte-Croix and the valuable work of some 500 volunteers made it possible to offer competitors perfect conditions to make this edition a success. A success undoubtedly recognised by the attending representatives of Swiss Athletics who came to see the race this weekend. Indeed, the Swiss Athletics Federation has chosen the Swiss Canyon Trail to host next year’s Swiss Championship Trail in the 75K category. “The federation has seen that we are doing a lot to meet its requirements,” closed Christinat. The 2020 Swiss Championships will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Swiss Canyon Trail. Two elements that suggest that the next edition will be extraordinary.

45 km Gael Raguet grinded past more than 344 runners to win in 04:05:21. Michael Enzmann earned runner-up honours with a time of 04:23:39. Rounding out the top three was Raphaël Niederhauser with a time of 04:44:03. In the ladies race, it was Cornelia Forte (04:54:29) taking the top spot. She finished 8 minutes 20 seconds ahead of Ezgi Akdesir. The third place went to Lin Normark with a time of 05:20:56 Top 5 Men 1 Gael Raguet FRA 04:05:21 2 Michael Enzmann SUI 04:23:39 3 Raphaël Niederhauser SUI 04:44:03 4 Valentin Gonthier SUI 04:45:07 5 Arthur Gremaud SUI 04:52:21 Top 5 Women 1 Cornelia Forte SUI 04:54:29 2 Ezgi Akdesir SUI 05:02:49 3 Lin Normark SWE 05:20:56 4 Claudia Brauen SUI 05:36:55 5 Priska Bregy-Jegerlehner SUI 05:37:38 Complete results 75 km Christophe Meier outran roughly 246 runners to win with a time of 07:48:33, followed by Jérome Lassale who finished with a time of 08:02:16. Rounding out the top three was Matis Bondurand with a time of 08:21:55. In the ladies race, Sophie Mourot scored victory with a time of 09:42:39 . Caroline Muller earned runner-up honours with a time of 09:50:19. The third place went to Audrey Virgilio with a time of 10:17:53 Top 5 Men 1 Christophe Meier SUI 07:48:33 2 Jérome Lassale FRA 08:02:16 3 Matis Bondurand FRA 08:21:55 4 Marc Moulin FRA 08:35:13 5 Mickaël Chamand FRA 08:37:02 Top 5 Women 1 Sophie Mourot FRA 09:42:39 2 Caroline Muller SUI 09:50:19 3 Audrey Virgilio SUI 10:17:53 4 Maryline Jean-Richard SUI 10:46:26 5 Elina Kabalina LAT 10:48:57 Complete results Ultra Trail 105 km The victory went to Martin Kern who crossed the finish line at 10:59:26, followed by Benoit Girondel who finished with a time of 10:59:29. Arnaud Chartrain got the third place in 11:22:26. In the women’s race, Camille Bruyas took top honours by finishing the race in 12:14:50 . She finished 2 hours and 37 minutes 26 seconds ahead of Julia Fatton. Rounding out the top three was Mélanie Rousset with a time of 15:54:02. Top 5 Men 1 Martin Kern FRA 10:59:26 2 Benoit Girondel FRA 10:59:29 3 Arnaud Chartrain FRA 11:22:26 4 Maxime Cazajous FRA 11:48:03 5 Joris Botton FRA 12:15:06 Top 5 Women 1 Camille Bruyas FRA 12:14:50 2 Julia Fatton GER 14:52:16 3 Mélanie Rousset FRA 15:54:02 4 Erika Chaari GER 16:50:48 5 Stéphanie Kuonen SUI 17:30:11 Complete results 25 km Aurelien Charite grinded past more than 511 runners to win in 02:19:45. He finished 11 minutes 40 seconds ahead of Maxime Leclerc. Patrick Mayoraz got the third place in 02:33:24. For the women, Céline Lafaye took top honours by finishing the race in 02:35:22 . She bested Josepine Meissner who crossed the finish line 15 minutes 48 seconds behind her. Finishing third was Carole Koster (02:55:28). Top 5 Men 1 Aurelien Charite FRA 02:19:45 2 Maxime Leclerc FRA 02:31:25 3 Patrick Mayoraz SUI 02:33:24 4 Bulat Fattakhov RUS 02:35:01 5 Kevin Clerc SUI 02:36:04 Top 5 Women 1 Céline Lafaye FRA 02:35:22 2 Josepine Meissner SUI 02:51:10 3 Carole Koster SUI 02:55:28 4 Nadouk Pillet SUI 02:56:14 5 Emmanuelle Membrez SUI 02:57:40 Complete results