For the second 12 months in a row, Grand Path des Templiers will host a France versus the World competitors together with the 75-kilometer queen race of the Competition des Templiers. Final 12 months’s occasion featured three squads: France, United States, and “the remainder of the world.” This 12 months, the competitors has expanded to incorporate males’s groups from South Africa and Japan. Fairly merely, the workforce competitors is scored by including the positions of the top-three runners on every workforce.
Additionally for the second 12 months in a row, iRunFar can be heading to France to deliver you pre- and post-race interviews with prime opponents in addition to play-by-play of the occasion. The race departs Millau at 5:15 a.m. native time on Sunday, October twenty fifth, which is 10:15 p.m. MDT Saturday evening within the States.
For extra on the race, you’ll be able to take a look at our ladies’s preview.
2015 Les Templiers Males’s Preview
No fewer than 4 5 males racing Les Templiers have racked up top-level worldwide victories over the previous 12 months and have carried out so over fairly quite a lot of programs. What’s extra, a lot of them have raced Les Templiers previously and must be primed for an additional good run this week.
Benoit Cori
Let’s begin off with defending champ Benoît Cori (pre-race interview). Admittedly, we knew nothing of Benoit prior his win finally 12 months’s Les Templiers. Nonetheless, he beat a powerful area there and received the aggressive SainteLyon 75k a 12 months prior. This 12 months, he’s taken second on the 60k French Path Nationwide Championships and thirteenth on the IAU Path World Championships in Annecy in Could. Extra lately, he ran to a much less stellar twenty seventh on the Ice Path Tarentaise in July. It doesn’t matter what health he’s in in the meanwhile, we’ll know who he’s this 12 months!
France’s Sylvain Court docket was second to Cori finally 12 months’s Les Templiers. He adopted that up by profitable the IAU Path World Championships (interview) in Annecy in Could. Only a month previous to final 12 months’s Les Templiers, Court docket received the French Path Nationwide Championships on a 60k course. He was third on the identical occasion this 12 months. Court docket has run the Grand Path des Templiers at the very least three different occasions, ending fourth in 2013 and seventh on two prior events.
Alex Nichols
Taking third finally 12 months’s Les Templiers appears to have kicked off a tremendous stretch for the U.S.’s Alex Nichols (pre-race interview). Since then he’s received the Crimson Scorching Moab 55k (within the race’s second-fastest time thus far), the Mont Blanc 80k, and the Pikes Peak Marathon, whereas taking second at Speedgoat 50k and sixth on the IAU Path World Championships. If Alex nonetheless has one thing in his legs after an extended season, there’s no purpose he can’t problem for the win.
Jonas Buud (pre-race interview). Since returning to racing this summer time after an extended damage layoff, this Swede’s been much more of an unstoppable machine than regular. He completely crushed the 90k UltraVasan (interview) in 5:45 in August earlier than lastly profitable IAU 100k (highway) World Championships (interview) in Winschoten, Netherlands just a few weeks later. Buud had a tough go at Templiers final 12 months, ending tenth and virtually half an hour off the lead.
Per week earlier than the race, Frenchman and UTMB champ Xavier Thevenard determined that he’s not sufficiently recovered from his latest UTMB win (interview) to race Les Templiers. It’s unclear if the French Athletics Federation will designate one other runner to compete in his stead.
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Jared Hazen
Whereas he’s not received a significant race this previous 12 months, American Jared Hazen has had a breakout 12 months and will problem for the rostrum. Since January, he’s racked up third-place finishes that the Bandera 100k, Lake Sonoma 50 Mile (interview), and Western States 100 (interview). In August, he was additionally sixth on the extra mountainous Pikes Peak Marathon. Until I’m mistaken, this can be Jared’s first race abroad.
France’s Patrick Bringer impressed in putting third on the IAU Path World Championships (interview) in Could. He received the French Path Nationwide Championships on a 60k course this 12 months. He’s beforehand raced Les Templiers again in 2012, when he took ninth.
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The worldwide groups are made up of 5 runners every. Right here’s the rest of the three squads mentioned to date.
Group France
- Nicolas Martin — Again in Could, Nicolas was a part of the dominant French squad on the IAU Path World Championships. He completed seventh there. Late in August, he took
secondthird on the UTMB sister race, the CCC. He’s beforehand taken fourth (2012) and seventh (2013) at Les Templiers, so he’s accustomed to what he’s entering into.
Group USA
- Jared Burdick — New to ultrarunning, Jared took second on the USATF Path 50-Mile Nationwide Championships on the Cayuga Trails 50 Mile earlier this 12 months. He’s run 2:20 for the marathon.
- Peter Maksimow — Extra generally seen at shorter path races, Peter was ninth on the Pikes Peak Ascent final 12 months. In Could, Peter received the Greenland Path 50k in 3:18.
Mario Mendoza — Mendoza beat Burdick to win Cayuga Trails again in Could. He was second finally November’s USATF Path Marathon Nationwide Championships in Moab. Final month, he completed his longest race thus far, putting second on the UROC 100k.[Oct 22 Update: Due to a travel issue, Mario Mendoza won’t be running Les Templiers.]
Group Europe
- Fulvio Dapit (Italy) — Fulvio was eleventh at Templiers final 12 months. He was tenth on the race in 2012. He’s positioned fourth on the previous two editions of the Ice Path Tarentaise.
- Fritjof Fagerlund (Sweden) — If Les Templiers was flatter or much less technical, I’d have included him in one of many earlier sections as he’s undoubtedly in nice form. He was sixth on the IAU 100k (highway) World Championships in September. He was tenth final November when the identical occasion was run in Qatar. In August, he received the UltraVasan 45k occasion. Nonetheless, he positioned twenty third at this 12 months’s IAU Path World Championships and twenty eighth finally 12 months’s UTMB.
- Danny Kendall (U.Ok.) — Danny has taken fifth and eighth on the previous two Marathon des Sables stage races. Final 12 months, he was third on the British Path Ultramarathon Championships and 14th on the CCC.
- Genis Zapater (Spain) — This 24-year-old ski mountaineer was fourth on the Marathon Pirineu final month and second on the Volta Cerdanya Ultrafons earlier this 12 months.
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So it could be a little bit of punt, however with just a few exceptions the South African and Japanese ultrarunning scenes are worlds unto themselves. Listed here are the respective males’s groups with some notes the place I might add one thing. When you’re accustomed to the under runners, please shed some mild on them within the feedback. We’re joyful to replace this part!
Group South Africa
- AJ Calitz — 2015 South African Path Ultramarathon Nationwide Champion; thirty first 2015 IAU Path World Championships; third 2013 & 2014 Otter Path Run
- Iain Don-Wauchope — 1st 2015 Coastal Problem; 1st 2013 & 2014 Salomon Skyrun; 1st 2014 Otter Path Run
- Alfred Rodney Inexperienced
- Andrew Hagen — 2nd 2014 Extremely-Path Capetown; 1st 2013 Lesotho Extremely Path
- Eric Ngubane — Runner up 2015 South African Path Ultramarathon Nationwide Championships; twenty third 2012 Comrades Marathon; nineteenth 2009 Comrades Marathon
Group Japan
- Keita Kobayashi — eighth 2014 Extremely-Path Mount Fuji; twenty second 2015 TNF 100k-Australia
- Yoshihito Kondo — 18th 2014 Skyrunning World Championships; 2nd 2012 Hasetsune Cup; fifth 2013 Hasetsune Cup
- Koji Morimoto — 14th 2014 Hasetsune Cup
- Tomonori Onitsuka — third 2014 STY (UTMF sister race); 2nd 2015 Ontake 100k Extremely Path
- Satoru Suga — twenty sixth 2015 TNF 100k-Australia
Different Quick Runners Not within the Group Competitors
- Ernest Ausiro (Spain) — eleventh 2015 Transvulcania
- Guillaume Beauxis (France) — eighth 2014 Ice Path Tarentaise
- Dominique Bordet (France) — 14th 2014 IAU 100k (highway) World Championships; 18th 2015 IAU 100k (highway) World Championships
- Thierry Breuil (France) — 2nd 2011 Les Templiers; fifth 2013 IAU Path World Championships
- Tòfol Castanyer (Spain) — It’s been a quiet 12 months for Tòfol since he took second on the 2014 UTMB (interview). He dropped from this 12 months’s UTMB with an damage.
- Julien Coudert (France) — ninth 2015 Transvulcania
- Regis Durand (France) — fifth 2012 CCC; 2nd 2015 OCC
- Emmanuel Gault (France) — seventh 2014 Les Templiers; fifth 2015 UltraVasan 90k [Update Oct 24: Manu Gault was officially added to the French team.]
- Miguel Heras (Spain) — It’s Miguel Heras! He was third at Extremely Pirineu final month and sixth at Les Templiers final 12 months.
- David Jeker (Canada) — 14th 2014 TNF EC 50-Mile Championships – San Francisco; tenth 2015 Eiger Extremely Path; 1st 2015 TNF Extremely-Path Harricana
Dan Lawson (U.Ok.) — 2nd 2015 Spartathlon (246k); 1st 2015 Grand Union Canal Race (145 miles)[Oct. 22 Update: Dan Lawson won’t be running Les Templiers after all.]- Clement Molliet (France) — third 2015 Ice Path Tarentaise; thirteenth 2014 Mont Blanc 80k
- Mikaël Pasero (France) — fifth 2015 Mont Blanc 80k; 2nd 2012 CCC
- Arnaud Perrignon (France) — 4th 2015 UltraVasan 90k; twelfth 2014 Les Templiers; seventh 2014 French Path Championships (60k course)
- Sylvain Perrin (France) — fifteenth 2015 Transvulcania; 1st 2014 Integrale des Causse (shorter Les Templiers pageant race)
- Lambert Santellio (France) — 2nd 2015 Path des Aiguilles Rouges; 1st 2014 & 2015 Restonica Path
- Vincent Viet (France) — 4th 2014 French Path Championships (60k); third 2014 Eco-Path Paris 80k
Name for Feedback
- Who’s going to win Les Templiers this 12 months?
- Which workforce goes to take the title?
- With over 2,500 entrants we absolutely missed some robust runners. Tell us who!
- Inform us if we’ve talked about a runner who you assume received’t be working.
