Act 3 / TRAIL - PLUM KV COURCHEVEL - Wednesday 10 August 2016

Plum KV Courchevel 2016: Jean-François Philipot breaks the record and Anaïs Lefaillet wins the 3rd round.

The sun honoured the 3rd round of the “Plum KV Courchevel 2016” this Wednesday 10 August, but the cold was also there at the finish of this trail running Vertical Kilometre (KV), located at an altitude of 2,300 m at the summit of the La Loze relay. The soup from the cauldron prepared by the team of “La Poêle à Philibert” was, as usual, much appreciated at the summit and warmed the 75 trail runners present. After the 1,000 m of elevation gain over 5 km starting from Le Praz, the 2015 and 2016 French KV champion Jean-François Philipot flattened the race by setting the new provisional record: 38min02s! Florian Sautel of the ESF Valmorel took second place in 41min08s ahead of Eric David of the Courchevel Sports Alpinisme club (41min56s). Worthy of note is the fine performance of Christophe Bassons, a former professional road cyclist now converted to mountain biking, who finished 12th in 44min55s. Two days earlier, he had climbed this KV course on a mountain bike in 51min30s with only 2 passages where he had to put a foot down for 15 metres. A feat praised by all the participants, and one that may give some people ideas!

In the women’s race, Anaïs Lefaillet won in 53min19s ahead of Catherine Juillaguet (53min49s) and Géraldine Bau (54min18s).

The final of the Plum KV Courchevel 2016 will take place on Wednesday 24 August. A last chance to be part of the 2016 standings and to take the record for specialists of the discipline. A last chance to be part of the Challenge X2 KV Courchevel 2016 standings for everyone who took part in the Plum KV Courchevel in ski mountaineering last winter. This challenge results from adding the best time achieved in ski mountaineering and trail running on this course, which is strictly identical in winter and summer. For the moment, Jean-François Philipot leads the standings in 1h22min11s (44min09s in ski mountaineering and 38min02s in trail running) and Corinne Favre tops the women’s standings in 1h42min39s (51min04s in ski mountaineering and 51min34s in trail running).

Last opportunities to be part of the Challenge X2 KV Courchevel 2017, which will take into account the times of the Plum KV Courchevel next winter in ski mountaineering, and to be part of the Challenge X3 KV Courchevel 2017, which, to be ranked, requires taking part at least once in each of the 3 Vertical Kilometre events offered in Courchevel: cycling at the Dynastar KV Courchevel 2016, trail running at the Plum KV Courchevel 2016 and ski mountaineering at the Plum KV Courchevel 2017.

Mathéo Jacquemoud and Axelle Mollaret, the two winners of the Plum KV Courchevel 2016 in ski mountaineering, will normally be at the start of this final to try for the grand slam and pocket the €500 prize money for the trail running records and the €1,000 for the best time in the Challenge X2 KV Courchevel 2016. Cédric Fleureton, 2015 and 2016 French mountain running champion, should also be there, as should Christel Dewalle, 2016 French KV champion and winner of the Plum KV Courchevel 2015 in trail running.