Tom Loubat, Thibault Pradeilles, Tom and Dan Aragon will be at the start of the Grand Raid de La Réunion this Thursday.
Thursday evening they will launch into the unknown. Among the 2,900 people who will attack the Diagonale de Fous, four Millavois, Thibault Pradeilles, Tom Loubat, Dan and Tom Aragon for discoveries on several levels.
First ultra trail. None of the four participated in such a long and difficult event (175 km and 10,100 m of elevation gain). Then the intense Island and its particular environment. It will be their first strides in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
“We set ourselves this challenge for our thirtieth birthday, lance Tom Aragon. Our father did it in 1998, we said to ourselves that we were going to do it.” “I told them that I wanted to do the Templars and they told me “for this year we have something else planned “, I told myself that it was time to do the Diagonale”, completes Tom Loubat.
Twins on the favorites list
Enough to add a little pressure! Aurélien Dunad-Pallaz, Mathieu Blanchard, Jean-Philippe Tschumi… Runners who have marked the history of this race will be at the start and will play at the front.
At the bottom of this list of favorites, made up with the ITRA ratings (International Running Association, the trail performance index, Editor’s note), the names of the twins Tom and Dan Aragon (respectively 780 and 783). A ranking that the two Millavois do not take into account before their departure, as there are so many factors to take into account.
“A little apprehension”
If they are experienced in running, this will be their first experience of such a long event, where different parameters must be taken into account (management of night, altitude, temperature differences, etc.).
“There is a little apprehension because we are moving forward into the unknown, says Dan Aragon. We’re getting ready to see the devil! We read Antoine Guillon’s book (12 participations, one victory and six podiums on the Diagonale des fous, Editor’s note) which says “when you feel good, slow down”, we will try to apply it and try to be fresh at the 100th kilometer”.
“We know each other for 10-12 hours, but beyond that we don’t know, asks his brother. When we start a race, we always maintain a certain rhythm, a certain intensity. There we leave for two nights, we know that there are temperature differences, there may be rain, sleep, nutrition, irritations… Lots of details that can stop us.”
From workouts to 4,000 steps
To prepare, they followed a series of sessions on the causses, but also at Aigoual where together, they increased the number of climbs on the path of 4,000 steps. “It allowed us to do five or six hour outings and then we did two long trails to validate our registration.”
“There has been a lot of fatigue over the last few weeks, on the biggest blocks, we could do between 13 and 15 hours of training, explains Tom Loubat. Combining work and training is not always easy.”
On site, they will be able to count on Pauline Sarrand, Tom Loubat’s companion and friends who live in Reunion to follow them throughout the race. “And then it will be beach, fishing and maybe the Piton des Neiges if we get back in shape at the end of the stay!” concludes Dan Aragon. The departure is scheduled for 10 p.m. Thursday, Saint-Pierre time, place of departure, 8 p.m., Millau time.
