Last updated: 02-Jun-17
By Elsa Trujillo
The 2016 edition of the Marathon du Mont-Blanc three-day mountain running weekend starts on Friday June 24th. This will be the fourth year that the ultra trail distance is programmed in conjunction with longer standing races: the mountain Marathon, two sub-marathon distances and a vertical kilometre (VK).
If you’ve signed up for the 80k, there are changes to the course to improve fluidity in the early sections of the ultra. The course for the Vertical KM has also been altered as has the starting time, which has been moved forward by two hours in relation to the previous 2015 edition. For more information, click here.
All 7,000 runners and supporters will be welcome to the free race expo village Trail Camp, taking place throughout the June weekend. One of the novelties for this year is the introduction of product testing out in the field, where runners will be able to try out products in the open, away from the confines of a shop or expo stand.
Finally, the 42km distance which was a Salomon Skyrunner France Series event in 2015 is now part of the new Salomon Over the Mountain Running Challenge 2016 circuit. The first stage of the circuit took place in March on the slopes of the Ventoux, and the mountain Marathon du Mont-Blanc will be the second stage. Other events will take place in the regions of Aveyron, Haute-Garonne, the Alpes de Haute Provence and the Hautes-Alpes.
The organisers will be introducing a series of measures to protect the environment such as car pooling, eco-cups, biodegradable markings, temporary signage, etc. For more information, visit the official website.
