Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz launched an attack on François D’Haene’s record and finally produced a benchmark performance on the GR20. The Savoyard trail runner left Calenzana on Thursday 24 September at 5:00 a.m. before reaching Conca this Friday morning. His time stands at 27 h 29, which sets a new benchmark for this route.
The new elapsed time is based on the GR20’s distance and elevation gain: around 166 km for 12 000 m of positive elevation. Dunand-Pallaz improves François D’Haene’s time by 2 h 17, set last July. The latter finished the course in 29 h 46, a comparison point clearly stated in the source.
The race is described as a controlled lead: the Savoyard took the front early, with nearly two hours’ advantage after about a hundred kilometres. The article highlights that one of the major unknowns was his ability to keep this pace through the night. According to the account, he maintained his lead and then slightly extended it up to Conca.
The route ends in Conca, where Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz brings his journey to a close this Friday 25 September at around 8:30 a.m. The edition of the attempt is also placed in a personal and time-based context: originally scheduled for 2025, an injury forced him to postpone the deadline. In the source, he explains that he knows Corsica very well, particularly through holiday stays with his family.
The source also recalls his links with the GR20 and his trajectory on other races. He says he discovered the GR20 in 2020, returned in 2021 to do it in four days, then in 2022 in three days. He says he took to it because, in his view, it’s a very technical trail, with lots of rocks and a long duration, which matches what he likes.
