Photo ZZAM! Agency - Pietro Lofrano
It was a Gran Trail Courmayeur full of novelties, but above all, surprises. The first came even before the start of the GTC100, when Simone Corsini, winner of the last two editions, decided to “step down” to the shorter GTC55, effectively leaving the throne open to new contenders. But the surprises didn’t end there. At the very start of the race, around thirty of the 565 runners took the wrong path just after Arpy, following the GTC55 trail by mistake. Among them was Martin Perrier, one of the race favorites, who was forced to withdraw.
At that point in the lead was Sangé Sherpa: the Kailas Fuga athlete led through the night, only to be caught and then overtaken by the duo of Erland Eldrup from Norway (winner of last year's Adidas Terrex Infinite Trails 60K Individual and Meråker Mountain Challenge) and Carlo Alberto Cirla from Italy (who made the podium at this year’s Ferriere Trail Festival), closely followed by Marijn Sinkeldam from the Netherlands and Danilo Lantermino.
Photo ZZAM! Agency - Alessandro Zambianchi
The "odd couple" Eldrup & Cirla stuck together for the rest of the race, ultimately deciding to cross the finish line hand in hand, closing the race in 14h32'25". Behind them, over half an hour later, Danilo Lantermino clocked 15h08'09", securing the third step of the podium. Marijn Sinkeldam was fourth (15h36'34") and Giulio Ornati finished fifth (15h59'13"). While Erland Eldrup was among the pre-race favorites, Carlo Alberto Cirla was the true revelation of this edition, celebrating his first career win with a top-level performance.
“It’s an amazing feeling, a dream come true. There was very little chance I could win, and yet here I am,” said Carlo Alberto Cirla right after the finish. “My legs felt great, and today was just one of those perfect days. I realized we could do it when the others behind weren’t gaining, and from Pavillon onwards we decided to race together.”
Erland Eldrup shared the sentiment: “It was almost like a team race. I really enjoyed running with Carlo Alberto. It was tough for me, especially during the night when I had some stomach issues.”
Photo ZZAM! Agency - Domenico Fazari
Lisa Borzani achieved a historic poker, claiming her third consecutive victory in the GTC100, adding to her 2019 win and third place in 2022. The two-time winner of the TOR330 – Tor des Géants took the lead from Rifugio Deffeyes and never let it go, steadily increasing her advantage as the kilometers went by, eventually crossing the finish line in 18h40'20".
"I had several stomach problems that made things dif icult for me," says Borzani. "I would never get tired of doing this race, it's always amazing."
Behind her, firmly in second place from the beginning, was Chiara Innocenti, another race favorite, who had also finished second last year in the inaugural TOR100 – Cervino-Monte Bianco. She completed the race in 19h12'32". The third step of the podium went to South African Heleen Mills in 20h03'11".
Photo ZZAM! Agency - Alessandro Zambianchi
The distance may have changed, but the result didn’t. Simone Corsini claimed victory in the GTC55, a race featuring 55 kilometers and 3,800 meters of elevation gain. The runner from Emilia-Romagna, already a two-time winner of the GTC100, crossed the finish line in 5h33'43", edging out Uladzimir Yakubouski from Belarus, who finished second in 5h34'19", and Alessandro Macellaro, third in 5h34'46".
Starting at 7 a.m. from Courmayeur, the leading trio kept a strong pace throughout the course, passing nearly simultaneously through the main checkpoints: Youlaz (km 14.8), Lago Combal (km 34.6), and Rifugio Maison Vieille (km 43.1). Corsini built his win in the final section, managing to create a slim gap on Yakubouski and Macellaro during the last kilometers of descent towards the finish line.
With less than one minute separating the top three, the 2025 edition of the GTC55 proved to be one of the most tightly contested ever. Matteo Pellissier finished fourth in 6h20'47", followed by Mickael Gruber in 6h22'14".
“I’m really attached to Courmayeur, between the GTC100 and the TOR,” explained Simone Corsini. “But this was my first time taking on the 55. I had to switch distances because I’ve been dealing with a posterior tibial issue for a few months, so I had to settle — so to speak.”
Photo ZZAM! Agency - Alessandro Zambianchi
No sooner had the race started than Margherita Vitali made it clear: today, there would be no contest. She set the pace from the very beginning, determined to claim her third win of the season after victories at the Sciacchetrail and Campo dei Fiori Trail. And so it went: she dominated the women’s race from start to finish, crossing the line in 6h24'50", good enough for 6th place overall.
For her, this win carried a special significance: “I learned to ski here in Courmayeur with the Crammont ski club, but this was the first time I raced on these mountains. Considering how bad I was at skiing back then, this feels a bit like payback,” joked Margherita Vitali. “I promised myself I’d just enjoy it, without thinking about the podium or the others — and I did. I definitely felt the ef ects of starting so fast. Also, this was my longest race ever, both in terms of distance and elevation, and it was a good thing I used poles for the first time.”
The battle for the other two spots on the podium was much closer. Sonia Chiapello made a comeback to finish second in 7h15'13", just ahead of Germany’s Lena Glasbrenner, third in 7h16'40". Katie Wright placed fourth in 7h32'39", followed by Magda Moroni in fifth with a time of 7h51'18".
Photo ZZAM! Agency - Elisa Mapelli
It was a golden comeback for Simone Eydallin, the La Sportiva athlete from Piedmont, who took the win in the GTC30 on a technical and fast 30-kilometre course featuring 1,500 metres of elevation gain.
Eydallin crossed the finish line in 2h48'57", ahead of Britain’s Fearghas Thomson (2h55’57”) and Italy’s Federico Magagna (2h57’13”). From the very first kilometres, Eydallin led the race, passing consistently in front at Rifugio Bertone, Bonatti, and Currù, confirming both his solid condition and well-calibrated race strategy. Alan Cherry placed fourth (3h00'22"), followed by Jacopo Gregori in fifth (3h05'25").
“It was a spectacular race,” said Eydallin at the finish. “The first part suited me perfectly — I come from vertical racing, so I pushed hard there and built the gap I needed to win.” But the significance of the result went beyond performance: “After a serious knee injury two years ago, today I only wanted one thing: to win. This victory is for me — for everything I’ve been through.”
An unexpected outsider turned champion: Evi Garbolino won the women’s GTC30 in her debut appearance in a VDA Trailers race. The athlete from the Aosta Valley, fresh off her win at the Licony Trail in early June, held a tight battle from the first kilometres with Laura Barale, before unleashing the decisive sprint on the downhill from Currù to Parco Bollino in Courmayeur. She crossed the line in 3h26’49”, finishing 13th overall.
"I'm happy — it was a lot of fun," said the versatile runner. "I had no idea what to expect because I don’t usually do this type of race. I tried to stay with Laura Barale because she looked really strong: I had more in the downhills, but she always caught up and dropped me on the climbs. On the last climb she caught me again, but didn’t drop me — and that’s when I believed I could win."
While Garbolino was winning the Licony Trail, Laura Barale was securing victory at the Marguareis Ultra Tour GM52. Their head-to-head at Courmayeur added drama to the race, which remained exciting until the finish, with Barale coming in second at 3h28’59”. France’s Delphine Poirot completed the podium in 3h41’49”, followed by Stefania Canale (3h54’02”), runner-up in 2019, and American Jennifer Clay, fifth in 3h59’49”.
Photo ZZAM! Agency - Alessandro Zambianchi
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