Sébastien Raichon on the GR20 for the first FKT without assistance

The GR20 terrain has, for several years, been the scene of multiple record attempts. The greatest have followed one another: Kilian Jornet, François D’Haene, Xavier Thévenard, Lambert Santelli and, more recently, Anne-Lise Rousset. But none has yet officially completed the formidable Corsican route without assistance, carrying all of their supplies and equipment. This is what Sébastien Raichon, a record-breaker, is preparing to do on the Tor des Glaciers (450 km; 32,000 D+ in particular), who set off on the technical Corsican terrain at 4 a.m. this Monday morning. “GR20, here I am! I’m setting off to tackle this very technical and beautiful 167 km trail (via the alpine variants),” Sébastien Raichon sent us on WhatsApp on Sunday evening. The idea? Being in complete autonomy and solo, “unsupported” in the classification of records by Fast Known Time (FKT). A mark that has never been made before. “If the weather conditions and my own condition allow it, I’m aiming for a time of 40 hours… In short, if the planets are aligned! And if not, I will take my time a little more, just to enjoy the beauty of the place,” he said. As we publish this article, Sébastien Raichon is beginning the alpine variant which takes him towards the Cirque de la Solitude. “I already have 3000 meters of elevation gain. And everything is fine,” he explains in a short video, while the ultra-trailer is delighted with the winter colors. “It’s a treat. » “I really like being in comfort paces, where you can enjoy the landscape, be in harmony with nature” Sébastien Raichon is a record-breaker. We owe him in particular the best performance on the Tor des Glaciers (450 km; 32,000 D+), or a victory on the Chartreuse Terminorum, an infernal race of 300 km and 25,000 D+…