80Km Trail official results confirmation - EcoTrail Paris 2018

After releasing the official results for the 11th edition of the EcoTrail Paris’ 80km Trail - that took place last weekend despite extremely difficult weather conditions - and after taking into account several complaints from elite athletes competing for the top spots, we noticed some discrepancies on the distances each athlete ran.

After talking about this problem with the athletes involved (on the phone for some, based on the recollection of the race for others, and by checking their GPX tracking) and with all the teams mobilised for the event, it turned out navigation mistakes made by some runners near Viroflay were due to a volunteer of our organisation providing incorrect directions.  We assume the entire responsibility of this mistake. Runners were unaware they were taking shortcuts. Therefore, no time penalties will be applied to these runners.

This is why we are confirming that the official ranking of the 80km Trail, which was released after the race on Saturday, stands.

We would also like to underline all the efforts provided by the teams of volunteers giving directions on the course (almost 150 people mobilised all day long on the entire course), who had to face raging weather conditions and who still showed professionalism and perseverance to welcome, encourage and accompany around 8,587 runners at the start of the 18, 30, 45 and 80km trails. Sadly, 724 runners had to forfeit (which is twice as much as the previous editions).

It is important to note that without the dedication and the passion of these volunteers, the event would not exist.

We would like to apologize sincerely to the elite athletes who feel like that they suffered prejudice on the final result. We know that they had been preparing themselves for months before this event, and we are honored to see them at the start of our races. This is why we will take the necessary time to assess the actions that will need to be taken on the next edition, without erasing the spirit of freedom and semi-autonomy that defines trail running.

Thank you,

Les Trailers de Paris association