A double MSWS weekend: today in France with the Skyrace® des Matheysins, and tomorrow in Japan with the Ueda Skyrace®.
The Athlétic Club Matheysin, led by Olivier Coudert and supported by nearly 200 volunteers, has made possible that the race which took its first steps in 2016 managed, in just three editions, to become part of the Skyrunner® World Series for the first time in 2019. A milestone that proves that, besides having an absolutely sky‑worthy environment, they also have an organisational capacity worthy of a world‑championship event.
Saint-Honoré, in the department of Isère, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, hosted a full weekend of racing —11th edition— aimed both at popular runners and at the Skyrace, with elite athletes as the main stars.
Saturday, two distances:
- Skytour Matheysin, 43 km, +/- 3250 m
- ST HO Express, 10 km, +/- 400 m
Sunday, the Skyrace event:
- Skyrace® des Matheysins, 25 km, +/- 1950 m
This year, the weather was favourable and the full planned course could be completed, although the race still crossed snowy sections in the highest and most iconic points, with strong winds on the summits: Sentier du Diable, Perolier (2183 m), Oreilles du Loup, Tabor (2389 m) and Piquet de Nantes (2216 m).
The characteristic final downhill section with its chained switchbacks, which in previous editions produced spectacular overtakes, could not be shown in the live broadcast this year, as the battle was decided on the climbs.
@sws
@gontranid
Men’s race, Frederic Tranchand
To win a race, many factors must align, but if you have legs, head, the absolute conviction that today is your day, and you are racing at home as a world champion… it’s hard to fail. And that is exactly what Frederic Tranchand (FRA/Merrell) did: set a strong pace from the start, increase his lead at every checkpoint, and reach the finish line alone, with absolute dominance.
The French squad started at a very high pace, taking advantage of the 4 km of track before the first steep mountain trails, with Frederic always in front. Very close behind, up to the second checkpoint, were French runners such as Gaspard Ravaux-Ouvray, Benjamin Roubiol and Tibère Debizet. But by km 7, at the start of the legendary Sentier du Diable, and especially at the summit of Perolier, the international group began to move up and the terrain placed each athlete in their natural race position.
Alex Oberbacher (ITA/La Sportiva), last year’s winner, ran a solid race, progressing from less to more, and secured a hard‑fought second place ahead of his compatriot from New Balance, Mattia Bertoncini, both finishing just over 4 minutes behind Tranchand.
The top 5 was completed by Lucien Mermillon (FRA/Rossignol) and Benjamin Roubiol (FRA/Annecy Athlétisme), with only 40 seconds separating 2nd from 5th place.
 @sws |  @sws |
Women’s race – Malen Osa
As for the women, hats off to Malen Osa (ESP/Salomon). After all the difficulties at the start of the season —especially at the Calamorro Skyrace, where neither her head nor her legs responded in her MSWS debut, to the point of considering a temporary break— she bounced back like the champion she is and claimed a spectacular victory, her first in the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series.
Malen crossed the finish line very emotional, followed by the surprise of the day, young French runner Eva Delafosse (Club des Sports de Méribel), just 2:37 behind. Although she led the race up to the first two summits, she could not maintain the gap to Malen. Fabiola Conti (ITA/Kailas Fuga) completed the podium.
The race began with Swedish runner Johanna Gelfgren setting a strong pace in the flatter, faster section, closely followed by Delafosse. At the first major summit, Perolier, Eva took the lead, followed just over a minute behind by Malen and Fabiola. At the Col du Tabor, Malen overtook Eva and never relinquished the lead until the finish.
The women’s top 5 was completed by Emilie Bulle (FRA) and Johanna Gelfgren (SWE/Hoka).
A very open race and circuit
Each race in the circuit continues to bring new names to the top positions, both in the men’s and women’s categories, highlighting high‑quality skyrunners who, even without contesting the full circuit, show their level against those fighting for the overall and for reaching the Skymasters with real chances.
A clear example is the finishing positions of elite athletes who, although favourites on paper, must adapt to the circumstances, the terrain and the extremely high competitive level, especially in European races. Our recognition and admiration to every participant, regardless of their position.
WomenP7. Oihana Zubillaga (ESP/Euskal Selekzioa) | ManP7. Daniel Antoniolli (ITA/Scarpa) |
RACE RESULTS
OVERALL
After 6 races:
