Edited by:
redazione
Valpelline and Val d'Hérens await 740 runners
On Saturday 7 September, the Collontrek between Bionaz and Arolla
A 22-kilometre walk linking Italy and Switzerland, Valpelline and Val d'Hérens.
.Saturday 7 September sees the return of Collontrek, the biennial cross-border event that has once again been able to gain widespread acceptance. Along the paths once used by farmers and smugglers, 740 competitors from 370 teams are expected. Departure from the Place Moulin dam in Bionaz, passage to the Nacamuli refuge and then to the Col Collon, from where the descent to Arolla, a village on the Swiss side where the finish line will be set, will begin. A trial that hides a positive height difference of 1,250 metres and also covers a section of the Arolla glacier, to be tackled in pairs and with crampons. There is the chronometer, but for many it is irrelevant because what prevails is the desire to experience a day in the mountains, to walk and discover the two valleys. In fact, most of those registered chose the 'populaires' category, in which there is not even a classification but only timekeeping. Just over 100 'elites' decided to tackle the race. The flooding at the end of June caused some damage both on Italian and Swiss territory. There are no problems for the smooth running of the Collontrek; a reconnaissance of the trail was carried out in recent weeks and appropriate changes will be made for the event to ensure maximum safety. There will be some small variations compared to the past, while keeping the spectacle unchanged. On Friday 6 September all participants will meet in Valpelline, where the preliminary operations are scheduled: bib collection, briefing (5.30 p.m.) and inaugural pasta party. On Saturday 7, at 8.30 a.m., start of the walkers, at 9.30 a.m. it will be the turn of the agonists. The arrival of the first pairs is expected in Arolla at around 11.45 a.m.
.