Morocco’s Elazzaoui second, SA’s Rorich impresses downhill as Swiss sweep Azores Trail prologue

Swiss trail runners took top sports in both men’s and women’s categories, with Morocco’s Elhousine Elazzaoui the top African as the Golden Trail Championship got underway on Wednesday (October 28). Racing began with a short warm-up prologue over 3,5 km in the Monte da Guia  Protected Landscape Area in the Faial Nature Park in Horta, capital city of the Azorean island of Faial.

While Maude Mathys, fastest woman at the prologue, is one of the favourites to win the championship, her compatriot Joey Hadorn, a short distance specialist, was a surprise winner in the men’s competition. Hadorn’s time of 13 min 56 sec was a clear 45 seconds ahead of Elazzaoui, who excelled to bag top five positions in three of the four categories.

“My racing is usually between 15 and 90 minutes at the most,” said Hadorn. “The stages will likely prove too much for me to be competitive.  I saw today’s prologue as my chance and went for it.”

South Africa featured on the honours board, with Robbie Rorich taking second place in the “downhiller” category, just two seconds behind Norwegian, Anders Kjaerevik.  Fellow Cape Town-based athlete, Meg Mackenzie, ran within herself with an eye on bigger things to come, finishing a comfortable 17^th and well within the time needed to make the first wave of starters for Day One’s action.

Most of the top runners were content to run within themselves, waiting for the real action to begin on Thursday with a 26 km race across Faial Island, including a climb to the rim of volcanic crater at Cabeco Gordo, which dominates the centre of the island at the same height as Table Mountain.

Prologue Results

3.5km at Horta, Faial Island

Men: 1 Joey Hadorn (Switz) 13:56; 2 Elhousine Elazzaoui (Mor) 14:41; 3 Remi Bonnet (Switz) 14:44; 4 Bartlomiej Przedwojewski (Pol) 14:51; 5 Jim Walmsey (USA) 14:53; 6 Thibault Baronian (Fr) 14:58; 7 Arnaud Bonin (Fr) 15:04; 8 Frederic Tranchand (Fr) 15:09; 9 Johann Baujard (Fr) 15:09; 10 Max King (USA) 15:20

Other African finishers: 22 Robert Rorich (RSA) 16:10

Downhiller: 1 Anders Kjaerevik (Nor) 34,2 sec; 2 Robert Rorich (RSA) 36.3; 3 Elhousine Elazzaoui (Mor) 36.5

Climb: 1 Arnaud Bonin (Fr) 1 min 36,6 sec; 2 Remi Bonnet (Switz) 1 :38,7 ; 3 Joey Hadorn (Switz) 1:39,0

Sprint: 1 Theo Detienne (Fr) 39,7 sec; 2 Jim Walmsey (USA) 49,5; 3 Anthony Boucard (Fr) 50,4

Women: 1 Maude Mathys (Switz) 17:05; 2 Rachel Drake (USA) 17:11; 3 Blandine L’Hirondel (Fr) 17 :18 ; 4 Anais Sabrie (Fr)17 :53 ; 5 Marcela Vasinova (Czech) 18 :16 ; 6 Bailey Kowalczyk (USA) 18:27; 7 Myriam Guillot-Boisset (Fr)18:29; 8 Camille Bruyas (Fr) 18:33; 9 Kimber Mattox (USA) 18:40; 10 Sara Willhoit (UK) 18:51

Other African finishers: 17 Meg Mackenzie (RSA) 19:14

Downhiller: 1 Ana Cufer (Slo) 38.7 sec; 2 Maude Mathys (Switz) 47.0; 3 Marcela Vasinova (Cze) 48.9

Climb : 1 Iris Pessey (Fr) 1 min 55,9 sec ; 2 Rachel Drake (USA) 1:59,8; 3 Kimber Mattox (USA) 2:00,1

Sprint: 1 Kimber Mattox (USA) 55,4 sec; 2 Maude Mathys (Switz) 56,0; 3 Annie Sonnerbog-Wadenhorn 1 :01,3