This Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 10 p.m., 2,937 “crazy” and “crazy” people set off from Ravine Blanche to Saint-Pierre for the queen event of the Grand Raid, the Diagonale des Fous.
On the program for this crazy race, 175 km and 10,150 meters of elevation gain, ten kilometers more than last year.
Among the elites, Reunion Islanders Julia Brulin, Sylvaine Cussot and Amélie Huchet. For France, there is Manon Bohard and Jennifer Lemoine.
On the men’s side, we recognize the names of the Swiss Jean-Philippe Tschumi, the Réunionnais Judicaël Sautron, Matthieu Blanchard, Germain Grangier, Cédric Chavet but especially the winner of the 2023 edition, Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz.
The first are expected this Friday evening around 9:30 p.m. at the Redoute stadium in Saint-Denis. The last ones will have until Sunday 4 p.m. to cross the finish line.
Read also – Grand Raid 2024: longer, crazier, more difficult
But before them, it was the first Zembrocal torchbearers who set off from the town hall of Saint-Joseph. In total, there are 888 torchbearers including 529 men, 359 women, aged 20 to 70 and coming from ten different countries.
A 149 km relay with 9,115 meters of elevation gain.
The first are expected around 3:30 p.m. at La Redoute and the last until 8:45 a.m.
– An early departure for the Mascarenes –
At 1 a.m. this Friday, October 18, it is in the Salazie cirque, in Hell-Bourg, that the first wave of the Mascarenes will leave.
At the start, 1,636 runners, 985 men and 564 women from 20 different countries and whose ages vary from 20 to 78 years old.
70km and 4,000 meters of positive altitude difference to swallow in the Reunion mountains.
The first ones are expected at 9 a.m. at La Redoute, while the last ones will have until 10:10 p.m. to reach the end.
– The Bourbon Trail for a blue wave –
Penultimate race to start, the Trail de Bourbon. 1,260 trail runners leaving Cilaos at 9 p.m. this Friday October 18. If the youngest is 21, the oldest is 76.
Each athlete will have to face 100km of course for 6,120 meters of altitude difference.
Arrivals of the first at noon on Saturday October 19. The last ones will have until Sunday, 3:10 p.m. to cross the final time barrier.
– The little news, the Métis Trail to finish –
New race appearing this year, the Métis trail. Departure will be at 7:30 a.m. from Saint-Paul on Saturday October 19. For this first edition, 579 people registered.
If the youngest is 22 years old, the oldest is 73 years old.
A new race of 50km and 2,500 meters of elevation gain.
The first arrivals are expected on Saturday at noon. The last ones will have until Saturday, 9:30 p.m., to complete this race.
Among this year’s figures, Marcelle Puy, five-time winner of the Grand Raid.
Read also – Grand raid: the return of the Maïdo and the appearance of the Métis Trail for the 2024 edition
Read also – Grand Raid: a crowd of “crazy” and “crazy” people to collect their bibs at Ravine Blanche
Among the runners, there are our infiltrators. Victor, Thibault, Anaïs or even Stéphanie… stiffs and stiffs from Reunion and elsewhere who will bring these races to life from the inside, if we fail to launch them ourselves.
To follow the races and your runners, you can go here or here.
Read also – Grand Raid: day or night, walking or crawling… they will be the infiltrators of Imaz Press
– Several roads closed to the public during the race –
Until Sunday October 20, due to the edition of the Grand Raid 2024, numerous traffic restrictions are coming on the various roads of the island. In the municipalities of Saint Denis, La Possession, Saint Paul, Saint Pierre, Le Tampon, Salazie and Cilaos, traffic will be regulated in order to allow the sporting event to take place in complete safety.
The following restrictions should be taken into account in particular:
– RD2 Saint Paul – Route de Mafate: from Friday October 18 at 12 p.m. to Sunday October 20 at 1 a.m., traffic and parking prohibited. Diversion via the RD2b,
– RD36 Route de Notre Dame de la Paix au Tampon: from Thursday October 17 at 10:30 p.m. to Friday October 18 at 7 a.m., traffic and parking prohibited,
– RD41 Route de la Montagne – La Redoute sector in Saint Denis: from Friday October 18 at 6 a.m. to Sunday October 20 at midnight, parking prohibited. Diversion via rue Lucien Gasparin,
– RD241 Route de Bras Sec: Friday October 18 from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., traffic and parking prohibited,
– RD242 Route d’Ilet à Cordes: Friday October 18 from 8 p.m. to midnight, traffic and parking prohibited.
For the smooth running of the competition, several forest roads will remain closed during the Grand Raid. The ONF also asks each user of the forest to adopt a civic and responsible attitude by bringing back their waste and by not damaging either the fauna or the flora of Reunion.
Traffic is prohibited (except for organization vehicles) on forest roads:
– Volcano forest road (RF 5): from Thursday 10/17 at 3:00 p.m. to Friday 10/18 at 12:00 p.m.,
– Haut Mafate forest road (RF 13) from its departure at Bélier to its terminus at Col des Bœufs. Closed to traffic in the upward direction and authorized in the downward direction, from Friday 10/18 at 1 a.m. to Saturday 10/19 at 3 a.m.,
– Haut Mafate forest road (RF 13) from its departure at Bélier to its terminus at Col des Bœufs from Friday 10/18 at 1:00 a.m. to Saturday 10/19 at 3:00 a.m.
Outside of these dates, to allow the completion of the work to requalify the Maïdo belvederes carried out by the Department, which are regularly the subject of incivility from visitors to the site, the ONF reminds that traffic remains completely prohibited from the mass area to the terminus of the Maïdo car park, from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday until October 31, 2024 inclusive.
This closure should allow the safe organization of convoys of materials necessary to carry out the work. Visitors are invited to postpone their visit to the opening times of the road, during the day or on weekends.
PROHIBITED PARKING on the Haut Mafate forest road (RF 13) from its departure at Bélier to its terminus at Col des Bœufs from Friday 10/18 at 1:00 a.m. to Saturday 10/19 at 3:00 a.m.
Read also – Grand Raid 2024: the use of drones strictly regulated for the safety of participants and the public
www.imazpress.com/[email protected]
