Key points:
– Over 6,000 participants
– A Kenyan victory in the men’s race and an Ethiopian triumph in the women’s one
– Podiums
– A new adventure for ASO
– A weekend packed with passion for running
– The weekend in figures
– Next up in the ASO running calendar…
Over 6,000 participants
The Marathon de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, a major event in the French running calendar, was held on a course between Cancale and the foot of Mont Saint-Michel this morning. Over 6,000 participants set off from La Houle harbour at a pleasant temperature and under somewhat misty skies.
The fast, pancake-flat course stretched along the coast for 25 km, visiting places such as Le Vivier-sur-Mer and Cherrueix (where the first competitors of the Duo Marathon passed on the baton to their teammates). The final 12 km of the race took athletes through an area of polders and over the Couesnon river, leaving Île-et-Vilaine and Brittany for the Manche department and Normandy.
Big crowds lined the 42.195 km course to cheer on the marathon runners and liven up the popular and friendly atmosphere of an event which offers an amazing tour of one of France’s leading attractions.
A Kenyan victory in the men’s race and an Ethiopian triumph in the women’s one
29-year-old Moses Gaikarira posted a time of 2 h 13?39? to claim the 19th Marathon de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel ahead of Ethiopia’s Tiruneh Chalachew and Birhan Walelign. It was the first victory on French soil for Gaikarira, who won in Marrakesh earlier this year. “I accelerated at km 35”, he explained at the finish. “It was a tough race, but I’m happy to win at Mont Saint-Michel.”
Ethiopian Alemayehu Hayimanot defeated French runners Murielle Brionne and Marie Legeais to claim her second victory in a row with a time of 2 h 43?30?. Michel and Frédéric Viel won the Duo Marathon relay race with a time of 2 h 34?02?.
A new adventure for ASO
The 19th edition of the Marathon de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel inaugurated the partnership between Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and the organisation founded and chaired by Denis Craveia. Édouard Cassignol, Public Events Manager at ASO, was in high spirits before the start: “The combination of ASO’s expertise and the enthusiasm of the hundreds of volunteers of the organisation can consolidate the Marathon de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel’s place in the international running calendar on the same level as the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris.”
A weekend packed with passion for running
A few other races were held in parallel with the Marathon de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel. The Marathon des Loustics attracted 850 children on Thursday for a giant relay race on coastal tracks. Yesterday, the 10 km de Saint-Malo took 1,700 athletes —58% of which were women— on a tour of the Privateer City, with a detour through the Intra-Muros area and the surroundings of Le Sillon beach. 700 women took part in La Malouine a short while later. A friendly atmosphere and party spirit were the common denominator of these three races.
The weekend in figures
The various events of the Marathon de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel attracted a total of 9,300 of runners of all ages and levels.
Marathon des Loustics 850
10 km de Saint-Malo 1,700
La Malouine 700
Duo Marathon 1,750
Marathon 4,300
Next up in the ASO running calendar…
October 2: 7th edition of Run in Lyon (10 km, half marathon and marathon)
October 9: 2nd edition of Run in Reims (10 km, half marathon and marathon)
Athletes can sign up for ASO events on the ASO Challenges platform (http://asochallenges.com/).
Find out more on www.marathondumontsaintmichel.com