Pictured above: Jeremy Bragg
Jeremy Bragg Assistant Director for Drivers Jonas Deloitte has
won The North Face® Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc® 2010.
Jeremy 29, who works for Drivers Jonas Deloitte's Birmingham
office, and is a member of The North Face Endurance Running Team,
beat 1,238 participants from 55 different nations to the title,
after combating an epic 88km course which circumnavigates Europe's
highest mountain, Mont Blanc, and passes through Italy, Switzerland
and France on challenging mountain trails, at altitude.
The race is widely acknowledged as one of the hardest races in
the world, pushing competitors to the frontiers of human endurance.
This year's 8th edition of the race had added drama and difficulty
from extreme weather (high winds and rain) which forced the
organisers to stop the race after just 31km following the start
from Chamonix at 6.30pm on Friday 27 August. In the early hours of
Saturday morning, based on a more favourable weather outlook, a
revised course was presented for a shorter 88km route in order to
allow the race to continue despite inclement weather.
Jeremy crossed the finish line after just 10h:30m:37s, seven
minutes ahead of fellow The North Face teammate, Mike Wolfe of the
USA.
"The emotion from the cancellation of the original race start
made winning all the more meaningful," commented Jeremy. "I'm
delighted that all the hard work and specific training for the
Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc paid off. To be able to go over the Alps
and compete against some of the best runners in the world is a
great honor, but to actually win the race is beyond
words.
"I ran my own race from the start and was happy to let the pack
get ahead of me initially, but then slowly work my way back
through, getting stronger and faster in the crucial latter stages.
The muddy and wet conditions really suited me and, as the race
progressed, the excitement and adrenaline rush of catching and
overtaking other athletes kept me going. I am absolutely thrilled
to have won such a high profile and prestigious event."
Jeremy, who last year won two commonwealth gold medals for the
100km road race discipline, began ultra-running in 2004. His
typical training involves well over 100 miles per week of running,
much of which is off road and in mountainous parts of the UK, but
is fully supported by Drivers Jonas Deloitte.
For more information about Driver Jonas Deloitte, please visit
their website here: www.djdeloitte.co.uk