The 8th edition of the Echappée Belle featured an exceptional field of runners. Best trail runners offered us an exciting battle of the titans. Cédric Chavet wins the race in 27h23, followed by Renaud Rouanet (27:35:26) and Stéphane Evêque-Mourroux (27:52:26) . Among female athletes, Juliette Blanchet was the first to pass the finish-line after 35:05:01 of the race. This year, face masks could not hide smiles of finishers when they were crossing the finish-line. Very special context gave a flavour of uncertainty about the maintenance of the race till the very last moment before the start. But it did not spoil the joy at the end of the event. Quite the contrary !

Cédric Chavet crossed the finish-line arch full of emotions at 7.26 am on the 22nd August. “I do barely believe it. I feel so proud. It is an extreme pleasure to win the race such as the Echappée Belle. Winning the race after “François the Great” seems just unbelievable!”, he declared just after he rang the much expected finisher bell. In the “top five” as of the beginning, the winner of this Echappée Belle edition nailed the race, keeping calm in front of competitors who started too fast. Familiar with this kind of challenging landscape, resistant to the heat, he finally won the Echappée Belle after the second-place finish in 2016. Few minutes after him, his friend Renaud Rouanet, arrived 2nd after he took advantage during the final part of the race. In the “top ten” till Gleyzin, Renaud kept his own pace, keeping away from the euphoria of race leaders. “I knew that there is no need to get mad before Pleynet”. One step away from giving up midway, Stéphane Eveque-Mourroux finally climbed to the 3rd step of the podium. “Unbelievable!” he says while crossing the line. “Sunsets… Lakes… It is as gorgeous, as difficult and technical”. The difficulty he talks about is the reason for the high number of withdrawals: 53% of runners finished the race. Leading the race from the beginning till Val Pelous, Jean-Marie Thevenard gave up a few kilometers after. Regardless of a very nice start, the patron of the 2020 edition, Sébastien Chaigneau, was hit by a pain at the level of the solar plexus. Medical care provided at Pleynet helped Sébastien to restart, but he eventually gave up the race shortly after Pleynet.

The women’s race witnessed the victory of Juliette Blanchet who won the Intégrale race with a time of 35:05:01. Following her own pace from the beginning, she catched up leaders and did not give up her position anymore, regardless blister. With a big smile, Céline Finas takes second place (35:36:59), followed by Daphné Alglave Guibert (36:18:57).

Duo of Camille Minard and Florian Becker took first place in the Intégrale in 32:33:13 in their category.

As for the North Crossing 87km race, Edouard Laudier is the first to cross the finish-line with a time of 13:16:09. He already won the Ridge Track 62 km in 2019. Sébastien Gérard (13:46:48), winner of the Intégrale in 2016, and Jean-Adrien Michel (13:59:08), finished in second and third place accordingly. American runner  Hilary Allen wins the women’s North Crossing race after a 26h15 effort. She is followed by Estelle Patou (16:25:23) and Pauline Gaidet (17:33:46). Mimmi Kotka (Sweden), after leading the women’s race, and at the 10th position from
scratch, gave up at Pontet.

The youngers runner, Benjamin Roubiol and Louison Coiffet (21 years old) took the 1st and the 2 nd place scratch on the Ridge Track with a time of respectively 06:49:51 and 07:11:41. Sylvain Court, winnerof the Integrale in 2017 finshed 3rd.
Julie won the women’s race with the new route of 57k and 3900m of elevation with a time of 08:09:34. Anna Comet Dynafit’s runner finished 2 nd (08:20:53) and Marine Quintard was 3rd (08:30:32).

An amazing edition due to the context, the weather and elite runners

“That’s trail running!” The 1017 finishers were unanimous when crossing the finishline: the route is beautiful but it’s probably one of the most difficult that they ran. Everything was in place to make this 8th edition so great: more elite runners than usual, a beautiful weather and volunteers ready even with the sanitory situation. All the imposed process have been respected, without spoiling the pleasure of the runners, who have appreciated the organization and the commitment of the volunteers.
The latter competed for creativity to welcome runners on the different pit stop: musique, nice messages written for runners, fun decoration of the pit stop…and still with a strictness to follow the sanitory rules. Many thanks to the volunteers who are the DNA of the Echappee Belle: friendship, empathy, availability…they give of their time during 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or 1 year to help make this race an authentic and warm event.

Interview of the first of 149k: https://youtu.be/fXp7iDM6BkM
Finish line of the last finisher in Aiguebelle: https://youtu.be/spPqNfAbrA0
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RESULTS

Échappée Belle intégrale
Men
1.      Cédric Chavet 27:23:39
2.      Renaud Rouanet 27:35:26
3.      Stéphane Eveque-Mourroux 27:52:26
Women
1.      Juliette Blanchet 35:05:01
2.      Céline Finas 35:36:59
3.      Daphné Alglave Guibert 36:18:57
North Crossing
Men
1.      Edouard Laudier 13:16:09
2.      Sébastien Gérard 13:46:48
3.      Jean-Adrien Michel 13:59:08
Women
1.      Hilary Allen 15:39:09
2.      Estelle Patou 16:25:23
3.      Pauline Gaidet 17:33:46
Ridge Track
Men
1.      Benjamin Roubiol 06:49:51
2.      Louison Coiffet 07:11:41
3.      Sylvain Court 07:22:31
Women
1.      Julie Roux 08:09:34
2.      Anna Comet 08:20:53
3.      Marine Quintard 08:30:32
Intégrale duo
1.      Camille Minard et Florian Becker 32:33:13
2.      Antoine Biard et Florian Monnereau 35:02:38
3.      Stéphane Baumhauer et Xavier Heitz 39:43:32

Résults full: https://echappeebelle.livetrail.run/classement.php

Photos podiums: www.facebook.com/lechapeebelledonne/posts/3427521827287411
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STATISTICS edition 2020

1489 runners included 40 duo and 180 women
Intégrale
– 53% of finisher
– 520 runners included 29 women
– 40 duos, 42% of finisher
North Crossing
– 67% of finishers
– 455 partants included 63 women
Ridde Track
– 88% of finishers
– 474 runners included 86 women