Bloodied runner finishes fifth at Marathon du Mont-Blanc despite grisly fall
Norway's Sylvia Nordskar sported shocking battle scars at the finish line of the second leg of the Golden Trail World Series
Photo by:
Golden Trail Series/Marthon du Mont-Blanc/the.adventure.bakery
Sylvia Nordskar of Norway gave spectators a searing look at resilience at the finish line of Sunday’s Marathon du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, France, as the Norwegian runner rebounded from a brutal faceplant in the marathon’s last three kilometres to finish in the top five of the women’s race.
Despite the shocking sight of the injured 29-year-old at the end of Sunday’s race, with blood dripping down face her and pooling on her racing vest and shorts—a much fresher-looking Nordskar shared in an Instagram post on Monday that she was “doing well” after her nose struck the ground in Sunday’s terrible tumble.
“What a day – 5th! Second time racing beautiful @marathondumontblanc in Chamonix and a great race for me! So fun to start first with all the strong women before the men’s start, making the race even more competitive and exciting,” she wrote.
“About 3K before the finish I face planted (at) high speed and knocked my nose to the ground. I was bleeding a lot, but my body felt OK otherwise. Happy I was able to push it to the finish line! THANK YOU for all kind support—I’m doing well now. Big thanks to @goldentrailseries and @marathondumontblanc for making such a show and to EVERYONE out in the course cheering us on love this sport and feel grateful to be part of this!”
Making her top-five finish all the more remarkable on the heels of her fall during the race’s final descent was the strength of the field at this year’s Marathon du Mont-Blanc in both the women’s and men’s races. American Sophia Laukli crossed the finish line in 4:12:39 to set a new course record. She was followed nearly a full 12 minutes later by China’s Miao Yao (4:24:27). Oihana Kortazar of Spain (4:25:47) placed third and Theres Leboeuf of Switzerland (4:31:59) finished fourth.
The men’s race also saw the course record fall, with Switzerland’s Rémi Bonnet, the 2022 Golden Trail World Series champion, winning in 3:35:04. He was followed by Eli Hemming of the U.S. (3:40:50), Sweden’s Petter Engdhal (3:46:44), Spain’s Manuel Merillas (3:48:31) and Bart Przedwojewski (3:49:47).
In the series standings, Bonnet is tied with Manuel Merillas, who won the first leg of the series in Zegama, Spain last month. Germany’s Daniela Oemus leads the women’s field. The series continues July 15 with the Dolomyths Run in Italy.
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
