Ten years after first setting the fastest known time on the legendary GR20, Salomon athlete François D’Haene has reclaimed the record, completing Corsica’s iconic mountain traverse in 29 hours, 46 minutes.
In doing so, the four-time UTMB champion became the first athlete ever to cover the approximately 180km route, which has nearly 13,000m of elevation gain, in under 30 hours.
Beating the heat
The attempt was postponed twice due to adversely hot weather conditions. D’Haene ultimately set off from Calenzana at 04:30 local time to take advantage of cooler temperatures before another period of extreme heat reached the island.
From the opening kilometres, D’Haene established a strong rhythm across one of Europe’s most demanding long-distance trails. By the halfway point at Vizzavona, he had built an advantage of more than 50 minutes over the previous benchmark. Despite covering nearly the entire southern section of the GR20 through the night – across highly technical and unforgiving terrain – he maintained his pace all the way to Conca, crossing the finish in 29:46 to establish a new fastest known time.
‘Special meaning’
The achievement reflects months of meticulous preparation. Throughout the spring, D’Haene returned to Corsica several times to scout key sections of the course, assess trail conditions following a particularly snowy winter, and refine every aspect of his strategy.
“Coming back to the GR20 ten years after my first record had a special meaning,” he explained afterwards.
“I wanted to see what experience, patience and a more methodical preparation could bring to such a demanding project.
“Breaking the 30-hour barrier on a route like this is incredibly rewarding. It’s an adventure that requires commitment from start to finish, and I’m grateful to everyone who supported me along the way.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest ultrarunners of his generation, D’Haene adds another landmark achievement to an extraordinary career. A decade after first redefining what was possible on the GR20, he once again demonstrated his unmatched ability to combine endurance, mountain expertise, race intelligence, and resilience on the world’s most demanding terrain.
