Our sweet Maria has been in France for the past couple weeks, alongside husband, coach and photographer, Tad Davis, prepping for the Marathon du Mont-Blanc 42k this Sunday, June 25, in Chamonix; Chamonix is a resort area near the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy, which hosts Mont-Blanc, the highest summit in the Alps. The photos of their adventures are incredible, and can be seen HERE. See below for a description of the feat she’s about to tackle –
42k COURSE DESCRIPTION
“Starting from the centre of Chamonix (1035m) the route climbs steadily towards the upper valley, progressively passing through the hamlets of ‘les Bois’ and Lavancher to reach Argentière (1250m). Runners will bypass the village of Argentière and reach Le Planet by the ‘Chemin des Rambles’ before going to Montroc using a local road, closed for the event. After going through the village of Montroc you take the trail towards Tré le Champ and from here, you go towards the Col des Montets. The route crosses the ‘Col des Montets’ (1461m) in the heart of the Aiguilles Rouges’ Natural Reserve. Then along the ‘chemin des Diligences,’ the old stage-coach route, you arrive at the hamlet of Buet before reaching Vallorcine (1260 m), nestled at the bottom of a pretty valley at just a stone’s throw from Switzerland. Here begins the progression to the Col des Possettes (1997m) via a trail leaving from the Plan de l’enders. A refreshment post is available at the top of the col before finally climbing up to the Aiguilles des Posettes (2201m) where you will be rewarded by a breathtaking panoroma of the Mont Blanc range. Facing the ‘Aiguille Verte’ and the Mont Blanc range, the route follows the ridgeline of the ‘aiguillette’ gradually descending in the direction of Tré le Champ. You will go along a pretty trail that brings you toward le Tour, crosses through the village, and then takes you near to the Tour glacier. Then, you will take a north facing trail (a cooler perspective….) towards Montroc before crossing through the hamlets of the Frasserands and Tré le Champ. At the heart of the Aiguilles Rouges massif, at the opposite of the Mont-Blanc range, the route climbs up towards la Flégère (1875 m). After crossing the magnificent Charlatan comb (1812m) the climb is gentle on a balcony path, with one of the most beautiful views of the Mont-Blanc, to reach Altitude 2000.”
Not as cool as Chamonix, but also a race abroad, Nikki and Courtney will race the Scotiabank 1/2 Marathon in Vancouver, BC on Sunday, June 25, as a nice breakup in their base building training as Nikki preps for a European trip to traverse UTMB with Scarlett, and Courtney lays the foundation for the Bellingham Bay Marathon.
