Weekend recap: Jim Walmsley punches Western States ticket with Roubion-Nice win
Canada's Rémi Leroux podiumed at Italy's Primiero Dolomiti Trail race
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Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB
Jim Walmsley delivered another podium-topping performance hot off his recent win at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), finishing the 115K Roubion-Nice at Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB in 11:21:05 and securing his spot for next year’s Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in the process.
Walmsley, who last month finished the famed Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix in 19:37:43 to become the first American man to win the event in its 20-year history, showed he’s on a roll with his commanding victory this weekend over second-place Simon Gosselin of France (11:46:29) and third-place Philipp Ausserhofer (11:55:13).
Although their finishes secure spots at Western States in 2024 for both Walmsley and Gosselin, the 33-year-old Walmsley hasn’t announced whether he’ll be toeing the start line at the legendary California ultra. However, he did post on social media Monday afternoon that the golden ticket “is opening up some fun possibilities for the schedule next year and I’m happy to still be dreaming of future starting lines.” Walmsley is a three-time Western States champion, setting the course record (14:09:28) in 2019. He hasn’t competed at Western States since he last won it in 2021.
Also picking up golden tickets were British runner Eleanor Davis (13:49:20), the top woman finisher and ninth-place finisher overall in the 115K, and Finland’s Marjo Liikanen (14:44:22). Italy’s Giulia Vinco ran 15:28:58 to round out the women’s podium.
Full results from Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB can be found here.
Primiero Dolomiti Trail race
Canada’s Rémi Leroux ran 43:56 to take second place in the 10.2-km Premiero Dolomiti Trail race in northern Italy on Saturday. The runner from Bromont, Que., wrote in a post after the race that while he was initially disappointed that the course “would not reach any epic summit above tree line,” he added that, having run it, he now considers it “one of the coolest courses I’ve raced on.”
Held in Fiera di Primiero, the Primiero Dolomiti Trail race consists of three 3.4-km loops, each with 230 metres of elevation gain, on the slopes of Mount Bedolè in the Dolomites.
Joining Leroux on the men’s podium were winner Xavier Chevrier (43:22) and fellow Italian Henri Aymonod (43:58). In the women’s field, Finland’s Susanna Saapunki ran 51:00 for first, followed by Kenya’s Lucy Wambui Murigi (52:33) and Britain’s Sara Willhoit (52:42).
Full results can be found here.
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