Mlynarczyk breaks Templiers course record, Puppi misses by a second

Martyna Mlynarczyk won the Grand Trail des Templiers on Sunday, the 80 kilometre, 3,400 metre flagship race of the Festival des Templiers in Millau, France, and broke the women's course record on her first attempt at the race. The Polish runner finished in 7:41:18, taking just over a minute off the mark Caitlin Fielder of New Zealand had held since 2024, when she ran 7:42:24. Alexandra Cassan-Ferrier of France was second in 7:46:22, five minutes back, with compatriot Audrey Tanguy third in 7:51:05.

The men's race came down to one second. Francesco Puppi of Italy won in 6:32:20, missing the course record Jonathan Albon set in 2021 by a single second. Dimitri Morel-Jean of France was second, seven minutes and seven seconds behind Puppi, with Benjamin Roubiol third in 6:44:09.

The Grand Trail climbs out of Millau and across the limestone plateaus of the Grands Causses before dropping back into town. This was the 32nd Festival des Templiers, held every October since 1995 and often credited as the race that started trail running in France. About 13,000 runners from 44 countries took part across the weekend's three main races, with equal prize money for the men's and women's fields.

A women's course record that had stood for two years, broken by over a minute on a first attempt, and a men's race lost by one second to a mark set five years ago. Either one would normally carry a day on its own.

Sources: iRunFar; u-Trail; Stadion.