Trail runners around the world are constantly pushing the limits. And it is the turn of the Franco-American couple formed by Katie Schide and Germain Grangier, to achieve an extraordinary feat. The lovers joined Cervinia in Chamonix, on a route of 188 kilometers and 13 meters of elevation gain. A challenge won in just 500 and a half days.
Lhe trail is freedom. Freedom to go where and when you want. Freedom to push your limits and to break records that will not always be approved. The personal challenges faced by the athletes rival the records set in major competitions. Leaving Cervinia in mid-July, Katie Schide and Germain Grangier just wanted to live "An intimate adventure"… “Returning to the sources of their love for the great outdoors… Listening to the mountains, their capacities, the risks and the need to constantly adapt”.
By carrying out this ultra-trail on the roof of Europe, marmots " Katie and Germain have once again shown the beauty of this light and aerial discipline.
“Adventure and exploration to share as a couple, to meet new massifs, as a simple endurance challenge. "
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Always further, always higher
From Cervinia in Italy on July 19, the ultra-trail of the “Marmottes” was completely crazy. The lovers then chained an ascent of the Breithorn at an altitude of more than 4 meters, before taking the the Haute-Routeof climb Mont-Blanc! They finally arrived at the end of their journey on July 23… Happy to have fulfilled their objective, which was none other than “to share magnificent and long days together in the mountains”!
“It was a pleasant feeling to see the summit of Mont-Blanc, the adventure was almost over! […] We were, really, really happy. The lights were crazy and the conditions were perfect, clear and windless. Onward, we made our way to the top without having time to stop for an omelet at the hut. "
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About Katie Schide and Germain Grangier
Katie and Germain are two lovers of the outdoors and the mountains and seasoned athletes. Both geologists by training, these two sportsmen gathered around their common passions for running, mountains and nature. They are illustrated on the UTMB, the Maxi Race of Annecy or the Transrockies Run. Katie likes to spend long days exploring the mountains on foot, on skis or by bike. She likes to “draw lines on maps and then see where her body can take her”. Germain's favorite playground is the Mercantour park. Originally from the Alpes Maritimes, he always returns to his stronghold after the competitions. Indeed, for him, the ultra-trail is "the easiest and fastest way to move over difficult terrain and draw your own lines towards the ridges and summits".
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New challenges ahead
This year, the Marmots will be present at Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland on September 12, and on the Grand Raid of Reunion, on October 15. But beyond the records, it is the sensations, the discovery of wild nature and the sunrises that ultimately motivate these two lovers of the great outdoors.
“I now have plenty of other ideas and motivation to return to some of the places we have been through. To spend more time looking for sunrises like this. »
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Featured image credit: Germain grangier, published with kind permission
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