MARIGOT—Some 200 runners in three distance categories contested the third edition of the Trans Soualiga trail run on Saturday organized by Dream of Trails. This is St. Martin’s ultimate off-road run for enthusiasts who like to be immersed in nature, seeing remote parts of the island they have never seen before.
Organisers take the abilities of three types of runners into consideration for maximum participation, from the experienced long-distance runners, to the intermediate runners with good fitness, to the shortest and easiest distance for the weekend warriors.
The 50K Trans Soualiga was won by ultra-distance runner Ludovic Chevalier from Guadeloupe in a time of 5: 24: 35. This category set off at 4:00am. There were 48 finishers with the last runner finishing in 11 hours 43 minutes. Max Denot from St. Martin finished second in 5:38:28.
“It was a great course, quite technical but it went well for me,” said Ludovic afterwards. “It reminded me of Réunion Island. Last year I had a knee injury but I’ve been coming back progressively. I’m very happy. I took the lead after about half an hour into the race. I didn’t look to see what was happening behind me.”
Three weeks ago, Ludovic won the 47K Trace Nord de Basse Terre in Guadeloupe. In May he will take part in the Tchimbe Raid in Martinique and later on July 21 to the French Alps for an ultra-run. It was his first time competing in St. Martin but his job as a refrigeration technician brings him frequently to the island from Guadeloupe.
Gregoire Pigeon from St. Martin, the winner of the first edition three years ago, and second place finisher in the second edition, placed fourth in the 50K this time with a time of 5:56:48.
“The course was the same as previous years, with a few small changes,” said Gregoire.” But the sun was hot and no wind. The last two hours were really hard, especially with the cramp coming on. I had to slow down and take care of it in order to finish in good condition.”
The Defi Moho (22K) was won by Olivier Baboulall in 2:49:35. An excellent run by Susy Piscione saw her finish in 33rd place in 2: 49: 35, beating her own time in the last edition. Two other runners from the Dutch side finished more or less together, Eric Bendahan (4:57:12) and Ernst Looser (4:58:28). There were 61 finishers and four abandoned.
La Careta (15K) was won by Raydon Mozard from Intergeneration Runners in 1: 40:08. This category had the largest field of 93 runners. It also included Thomassen Gerben in 10th place. Gerben had the best result for St. Martin in last year’s Volcano Run in Guadeloupe but is working his way back from ankle injury and decided to do an easier race.
Most participants were from Guadeloupe, Martinique, or from clubs in St. Martin.
