This weekend, the Festival des Templiers came to a close with the victory of Frenchman Thomas Cardin and New Zealander Caitlin Fielder in the benchmark Grand Trail des Templiers race. We Rock Sport was on hand to witness (and take part in) this 30th edition of the event.
Last week, 13,000 runners took to the trails around Millau for the Festival des Templiers. A benchmark race on the international calendar, this year's event celebrated its 30th edition. For the occasion, the organizers had the good idea of inviting some of the great names who have written the history of the event, such as Patrick Renard, winner of the first race in 1995 and taking part in this year's Intégrale des Causses, or Thomas Lorblanchet, with four victories to his credit on the Grand Trail des Templiers. The former winners now have their names on a fresco paying tribute to them. This was inaugurated on Saturday by the event's creators Gilles Bertrand and Odile Baudrier.
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This year, 14 races were on the program. For our part, we opted for one of the shorter versions, the Trail des Troubadours, 12.1 km and 509 meters of ascent. There were, however, four short climbs on this distance, some of them steep enough to force everyone to walk over them (including the one along the slopes of the Font Frege ravine and the famous Carbassas climb, also used by the Templiers). Luckily, the heavy rain of the previous days gave way to perfect weather conditions for the races on Saturday and Sunday. This gave us the opportunity to make the most of the technical descents, which were nonetheless always tricky, with slippery rocks and roots that can be treacherous, especially at the end of the course when you're not thinking clearly.
Another highlight of this year's event is the prize money, raised to 10,000 euros for the male and female winners of the week's major event, the Grand Trail des Templiers. One of the biggest prize money awards in the world of international trail running. At the start at 5.15 am on Sunday morning, 2,350 runners set off on the 80.4 km and 4,428 m ascent of the queen race. The course was swallowed up at an impressive speed by the frontrunners, as evidenced by their passage over the very tough Cirque de Madasse hill, the second major difficulty of the day, which preceded the sectors covered on the Larzac, the Dourbie valley and the Causse Noir.
At the finish, it was Frenchman Thomas Cardin who took the lead at the halfway point. He completed the event in 6h38''14'', crossing the finish line with the laurel wreath presented by Odile Baudrier. The Kiprun athlete even took the time to retrace his steps and clap the hands of the many spectators who had come to welcome him at the end of his victorious journey, having admitted before the race that he had dreamed of winning this Grand Trail des Templiers since childhood. The European Champion was imperious on Sunday, opening up a 19-minute gap on his closest pursuer, Portugal's Miguel Arsenio. Third place went to Spain's Andreu Simon Aymerich, completing a very international podium.
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Local runner Goulwen Kerneguez received the loudest applause from the public, coming seventh in the event and was very emotional at the finish with his top-10 performance on home soil. In the women's race, a number of nationalities also took first place, including New Zealander Caitlin Field, who won in 7h42''. "The biggest victory of my career", she admitted at the finish. Norway's Sylvia Nordskar and France's Blandine L'Hirondel took second and third place respectively. The three women were within 10 minutes of each other at the finish.
Last but not least, while the elite athletes obviously livened up this Festival des Templiers, the Belle de Millau, the shortest distance but not the least important, was one of the many races organized. On the program for this 11th edition was a 4.2 km charity event in aid of the Ligue contre le Cancer. The race, which started at 10 a.m. on Sunday October 20, was an undeniable success. A total of 2,000 people, most of them dressed in pink, set off on the short course from the Place du Mandarous in Millau to the Domaine de Saint-Estève, the finish line for the Festival des Templiers. A great way to get some exercise for a good cause.
