Off-trail racing: Doubles for Dordogne Athlé and Bergerac

Djamal Kasir Haj Mohamed, winner of the 9 km race, and Ibrahima Fane, first in the 19 km, achieved exceptional times in the first edition of the Neufont Lake Trail: 31:40 and 1:16:55. Enough to lay the foundations for future editions. The two athletes, licensed by Dordogne Athlé, tackled the courses proposed by the Grand Périgueux office with the assistance of Dordogne Athlé. The courses were very smooth, 90% of them through fields and undergrowth, with some beautiful climbs and gentle descents. Fresh as a daisy at the finish, Kasir Haj Mohamed and Fane each beat their runner-up by three minutes. "Impressive," whispered some spectators gathered at the finish line.

With 260 participants, this first edition of the Neufont Lake Trail met its challenge. "We were expecting 300, but for a race that wasn't on the calendar and for which we only started advertising a few months ago, it's really not bad," smiled Samuel Duval. For this first Sunday of the holidays, the trail runners came with their families. Some of them even crossed the finish line with their children. "Come on, Dad," shouted a young man who had finished the 9 km and was encouraging his father who was also finishing the short course.

A very smooth course

The participants arrived in dribs and drabs. Spectators could see them passing on the lake embankment, and on the final climb, they held out their hands for the trail runners to tap in. A good atmosphere even at the finish refreshment station where the registrants discussed their feelings during the race and the course. While two Dordogne Athlé athletes won the trails, two Bergeracoises won, Sandrine Houtin the 19 km and Alizée Brugeaud the 9 km. The 19-year-old was extremely happy with her time (39:38, four minutes slower than second-placed Léonie Kauffmann of Brive Triathlon and third-placed Lola Zeroual from Périgourdine). "It was a great race with a fairly smooth course, and that suited me. The weather was also perfect for a trail," explained Alizée Bugeaud. A fan of cross-country, track, and road races, she came to challenge herself and have fun at the final event of the season. Sandrine Houtin was just as delighted: "The course is super smooth with not too much elevation," she said. "I usually do around 15 km, but on this one, I didn't see the kilometers go by."

And after the effort, the reward. Participants were able to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the Neufont guinguette and enjoy the lake for a while.