The stormy forecasts of Météo France for the department of Haute-Savoie placed in orange vigilance this Friday forced the organizers of the Mont-Blanc marathon to cancel the first of the eight races, that of the 90 kilometers. The runners were to start at 4am. A total of eight races are spread over three days with 10,500 participants from more than 80 countries.
Gusts at 100 km / h and hail announced
In connection with the prefecture, the organizing committee preferred to cancel this event. In a press release sent to participants, the organizers explain:all the weather models are unanimous, including that of the race meteorologist. The situation announced in the Haute-Savoie department and more particularly in the Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley from Friday June 24 at midday indicates heavy continuous rain, gusts of wind from 80 to 100 km/h at any altitude, major stormy disturbances (hail, thunder, lightning) and temperature drops to 5°C at 2000m altitude“.
Concerning the Vertical Kilometer, the safety commission will meet this morning to decide whether to maintain or postpone the race to Saturday morning.
The Mont-Blanc marathon is on Sunday with some of the best runners in the world and hundreds of amateurs for 42km and 2500m of elevation gain.