French flair was to the fore at the Barkley Marathons and as the dust settles some fascinating insights have emerged.
For the 26th time there were no finishers of ‘The Race That Eats Its Young’ as an earlier-than-ever start, a reversed first loop and shocking weather conditions all made it even more brutal than normal.
But one man did at least achieve a ‘Fun Run’ – which is three complete loops inside 40 hours – as he was the last person standing.
That was Sébastien Raichon and his feat was all the more impressive as just a month before the 53-year-old had won ‘Britain’s most brutal’ ultramarathon on his debut, the 268-mile Montane Winter Spine Race.
‘I’m the only one!’
That event started in snow and takes runners along the Pennine Way from the Peak District to the English / Scottish border and Raichon paced it perfectly as he moved his way through the field and took full advantage of longtime leader Eugeni Roselló Solé’s unfortunate late exit.
And writing after the Barkley on his Instagram page, Raichon has coined a new term for that unique double!
He said: “My 3rd Barkley completed last night and I achieved my fun run goal despite the storm and a wet course.
“And I’m the only one! The British and American’s top fans of the Spine and Barkley [Ed: we think probably Damian Hall and John Kelly!] told me that I was the first to win these 2 races in the same winter! The SPARKLEY.”
Allez Les Bleus
He added: “So this morning I’m very happy and proud. Despite hundreds of scratches and a bruised body from my countless falls.”
We also got confirmation from Raichon of just what a strong French line-up it was at the Barkley.
Keith Dunn – the sole source of reliable information – had posted early on that “the first five through the tower all have French accents”.
We already knew that Mathieu Blanchard, who has dual French / Canadian citizenship, was one of those but Raichon has named Aurélien Sanchez, the 16th of only 20 people to finish a Barkleys (and on his debut) as another, along with Guillaume Calmettes and Ronan Pierre.
