Swiss David Schneider and Bernadette Meier-Brandle won second Grand Prix race in France.

The 2. stage of the 2011 WMRA Grand Prix resulted in two new senior champions for 2011. Thursday 2nd June was a national holiday in France and at Willer sur Thur, a field of 500 started in this 31st running of the Grand Ballon uphill event (1200m of ascent).
It was a seasoned international field that were
chasing the podium positions with many elite runners from European countries.
Pre race favourite David Schneider (SUI) was the emphatic winner in 1.00:55 minutes ahead of French favourites, Gorge Bourrier(1.01:42) and defending champion Julien Rancon (1.02:18).
The women's race was won by Bernadette Meier-Brandle (SUI) in 48:53 whilst the runner up was Adelaide Pantheon (FRA: 3. junior women at the last World Mountain Running Championships 2010) in 50:54. The winner's team-mate Angela Haldimann-Riedo (SUI) took third place (51:29).

In the men race where the participation of Ahmet Arslan was waited but the turkich runner was sick and don't come in France. The French runners Rancon, Jandari and above all Georges Burrier give to the race a very high intensity in the first kilometers. Zeiler (Germany), Meyssat (France), Gutierez (USA), Orlando Edwards and Adam Osborne (Great Britain) can't follow the rythm.
At the passage in Goldbach after the fourth kilometers, Georges Burrier was alone at the head of the race, Schneider and Rancon, one hundred meters behind. At the col du Haag, the Swiss runner join Burrier and attack in the last part of the race. At the passage on the top of the Grand-Ballon he has a good advance on Burrier and Rancon (winner last year here). A wonderful success for David Schneider who also win last week the Gamperney Berglauf in Grabs (Switzerland).
As it was also the French trials for the European Uphill Mountain running championships, being held in July, France dominated the top positions in the main event, with runners from Belgium, England, USA and Germany only playing supporting roles on this occasion.

The current joint leaders in the men's Grand Prix are David Schneider and Martin Dematteis (ITA).
Leeds based Emma Clayton (GBR), now leads the Women's WMRA Grand Prix, having featured in both of the opening events. She finished 2nd and 5th in the Italian and French events respectively.
No doubt this may change again at the next round of the WMRA Grand Prix in Kamnik at the 13th International Grintovec Mountain Running Race on 24th July.

Wolfgang Munzel, WMRA Council member, was present like WMRA delegate.

News by Bashir Hussain and LOC

Photo in front page by LOC: magazin of the race.
Photo in second page:
winner men by Vincent Chapin (LOC),
winner women by Vincent Chapin (LOC) ,