This Friday, the Ford Roc Marathon will be the highlight of the day, featuring a challenging course of 91.3 km and a 2,300 m elevation gain. Last year's sprint winner, Hugo Drechou, is set to compete to defend his title. "The goal is clearly to win again," he asserts. "I tried to replicate the same training program as last year when I won on Friday and came in second at Roc d'Azur on Sunday. I hope to have the same sensations. I'll try to do even better! So, I'm obliged to win this Friday to keep that goal! Last year, with the sprint, I didn't have time to raise my arms at the finish line. The dream would be to have the time to enjoy it." Young Axel Roudil-Cortinat (3rd in 2021), the French marathon champion this summer (ahead of Drechou), will be another strong contender against a strong European field. Italians Fabian Rabensteiner (2nd in 2021 and 2022), Samuele Porro (winner in 2018), German Martin Seewald (winner in 2021, 3rd last year), and Austrian Daniel Geismayr (winner in 2019) will also line up at the start with high ambitions.
In the women's race, Margot Moschetti, who won Roc d'Azur in 2014 and 2019 and has consistently performed well in Roc Marathon, is expected to once again compete at the front. The French team will also rely on Estelle Morel (2nd last year), the vice-champion of France in July. However, the foreign delegation will also be strong, including Lithuanian Katazina Sosna, who won in 2019 and 2021, German Bettina Janas, and Italian Costanza Fasolis (3rd in 2021).
The for Randos Roc, then the streets of Fréjus for the evening
For the second year, the trails of the Massif de l'Estérel open up this Friday to Roc d'Azur participants. Several hikes, ranging from 24 to 56 km (49 and 70 km for gravel), will take participants deep into exceptional natural landscapes. Depending on their fitness and desires, they will have the opportunity to choose their distance throughout the day.
A highly anticipated event every year, Roc Ruelles will once again ignite the heart of the village of Fréjus in the evening, with the same rush of adrenaline as runners pass through the steps and narrow streets of the historic center, at the foot of the church, and... the restaurant terraces.
