#GRANDRAID ON #REUNION TURNS 25
(Posted 14th October 2017)
More than 6.400 participants from over 50 countries have registered for the anniversary event of the ‘Grand Raid‘, one of the world’s most challenging but also exciting cross country event.
The race is run as the annual season closer of the global ‘Ultra Trail World Tour‘ and as such generates crucial points for the year end standing of what can only be described as professional athletes.
The start of the 2017 edition of the Diagonale des Fouswill be launched on the site of Ravine Blanche in Saint-Pierre on the south of the island on Thursday the 19th of October. Runners will have to cross the island diagonally to reach the site of La Redoute north of Reunion no later than Sunday 22nd of October. The competitors will cross the steep reliefs of the island with this 165-kilometer course for a positive drop of more than 9,500 meters: Welcome to Les Fous which for a good reason is translated as the ‘Diagonal of Fools‘!
Reunion Tourism is once again a key partner of the event and will be bringing French and international media to the island to cover this signature event for which Reunion has become as famous as for dolphin and whale watching, volcano trekking, mountain biking and of course the conventional beach vacations too.
(The route of the 2017 race)
There are other races too being stages, less demanding with less distance to cover and less elevation differences to master.
The Trail de Bourbon will start on 20th of October. To complete the second race of the Grand Raid, the competitors will have to traverse 111 kilometers with 6,430 meters of positive drop. The Trail de Bourbon will start from the circus of Cilaos, cross the Mafate Circus to merge with the Diagonale des Fous route from the Roche Plate school before returning to the Redoute site in Saint-Denis.
The departure of La Mascareignes – 65 kilometers for 3,500 meters of positive drop – will take place in Grand Îlet, in the circus of Salazie, on 20th of October. The route of the race will pass through the Salazie and Mafate circuses, then along the coastline via Possession, Grande Chaloupe and Colorado before reaching the finish line at La Redoute stadium.
A novelty makes its appearance this year with a fourth race, the Zembrocal Trail. This relay race will race for 186 kilometers with nearly 10,500 meters of positive drop! The start of the relay Zembrocal Trail will take place on Thursday 19th of October at the Domaine Vidot in Montvert-les-Hauts, with a finish at the latest at the Redoute stadium on 22nd of October. This new race will notably pass through the region of the volcano making it elevation wise the most demanding race.
Number of registrants by country of residence at the Grand Raid 2017
Afghanistan: 1
South Africa: 16
Germany: 14
England: 11
Argentina: 5
Australia: 5
Belgium: 26
Brazil: 2
Cambodia: 1
Canada: 3
China: 20
Croatia 1
Denmark 2
Djibouti 1
Scotland 1
Spain 19
United States: 4
Metropolitan France: 1,662
Guadeloupe: 10
French Guiana: 4
Hong Kong: 10
India:3
Iceland: 6
Israel: 4
Italy 13
Japan: 24
Reunion: 4.296
Latvia: 1
Luxembourg: 14
Madagascar: 1
Mali: 1
Martinique: 13
Mauritius: 51
Mayotte: 59
Mexico 1
Nepal: 1
Norway: 3
New Caledonia : 7
New Zealand: 3
Netherlands: 5
Poland: 4
French Polynesia: 2
Portugal: 3
Czech Republic: 1
Russia: 2
Senegal: 1
Singapore: 2
Slovenia: 3
Sweden: 5
Switzerland: 53
Taiwan: 1
TOTAL = 6,401 participants
For more information about Destination Reunion click on www.reunion.fr
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