Hugo Deck overtakes Vincent Esmiol in the Diagonale des Fous

Hugo Deck took the lead in the Diagonale des Fous on Friday afternoon, overtaking Vincent Esmiol on the climb toward the Maïdo and putting himself in front of La Réunion's hardest mountain race with roughly 57 kilometres still to run.

The race started Thursday night from Saint-Pierre and finishes at the Stade de la Redoute in Saint-Denis, 180 kilometres and 10,200 metres of climbing away. Nearly 2,900 runners started, with the fastest expected to finish in under a day.

At the Tête dure checkpoint, 123.6 kilometres in, Deck's race clock read 15 hours 43 minutes and 4 seconds, just under 19 minutes clear of Esmiol, who had led for most of the day before Deck passed him on the climb. Jean-Philippe Tschumi held third, still working through Roche plate behind them.

Ruth Croft led the women's race through Grand Place, 107.6 kilometres in, with a time of 15 hours 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Alyssa Clark sat second, about 27 minutes back, with Agathe Bes third.

All three leaders still had the Mafate massif and the Maïdo's final descent into Saint-Denis to get through. A lead with a third of the course still ahead, through the dark and down a mountain, is a position, not a result.

Sources: Grand Raid LiveTrail; Imaz Press Réunion; Grand Raid de la Réunion.