Monaco Run 2024: A great popular success despite the capricious weather
On Saturday, February 10, extreme precipitation unfortunately forced the organizers to cancel the first edition of the Trail du Mont Agel. The weather, which almost spoiled the party, did not, however, dampen the happiness of the 550 runners present at the finish of this epic event. Participants registered for the Trail du Mont Agel, who wished to, could start the City Trail at 8:45. Under torrential rain, the brave competitors tackled over 1,100 uphill stairs. Slovenian Timotej BECAN secured the first place with a time of 45:19. Sébastien POESY, a regular in the event, and Nejc URSIC (Slovenia) completed the podium in 47:22 and 48:44. Among women, Hungarian Vanda LOVEI took the lead in 56:21 ahead of Aurélie DELATTAIGNANT (58:03) and Katia Lisa OPERTA (58:38).
The first members of AS Monaco Athletics, Goeffrey LANOE finished 4th, while Nadezhda SOLOVEVA finished 5th. Families were then honored at 4:00 PM at Port Hercule during Families on Track. About twenty families of 3 to 5 people accompanied Paula RADCLIFFE to complete a 5km relay without ranking, as the weather became more clement.
On Sunday, February 11, with the sun finally returning, two road races were on the program: the 5km Hoka and the 10km. Both races quickly sold out to reach a total of 1,700 runners at the starting line. A great success for these two officially certified distance events. Many spectators lined the course to cheer on their loved ones, contributing to a very positive atmosphere. Niels LAROS and Laly POLENTRU left their mark on the 5km Hoka.
The flagship event of the Monaco Run Gramaglia, the 5km Hoka, starting at 9:00, saw the triumph of Frenchman Yann SCHRUB in 13:22, closely followed by Abdullahi Dahir RABI (Norway) (13:24). Niels LAROS (13:26) completed the podium with a time of 13:26, allowing him to achieve the national record for the Netherlands and the best European U20 performance in history. Owner of the Junior French record for the 5km since his participation in the Monaco Run in 2023, Nils SERRE-GEHRI took advantage of his return to the Principality to improve his time by 21 seconds and achieve a time of 13:55. The first member of AS Monaco, Armand IUREA, finished 94th overall. Among women, the victory went to Likina AMEBAW (Ethiopia) in 14:35 ahead of Selah BUSIENEI (Kenya) in 15:15 and Julia VAN VELTHOVEN (Netherlands) in 15:38. Noteworthy is the remarkable performance of the French talent Laly POLENTRU, who ran this 5km Hoka in 16:18, allowing her to pocket the French records for Cadet (U18) and Junior (U20) simultaneously. Finally, Julia DALE was the first licensed athlete of AS Monaco with a time of 19:45.
In the 10km, Anthony BARRIERE took the victory with a time of 30:43. Behind him, we find AS Monaco member Quentin SUCCO (30:48) and Jules BARRIOD (31:07). Professional cyclist Bauke MOLLEMA also stood out by securing the 4th place (31:40)! On the women’s side, the victory went to Marie PERRIER, Mauritian Olympic athlete, who crossed the finish line in 35:09. Jennifer ELVIN and AS Monaco athlete Adriana DI GUISTO GRIGORAS completed the podium with times of 37:33 and 37:55.
Finally, as part of the Monaco Run Gramaglia, the Pink Ribbon charity walk was organized, the traditional walk in support of breast cancer, which brought together nearly 300 participants in the streets of the Principality.
