Moroccan trail runners Ahmed Ayyoub and Aziza El Amrany claimed victory in the 21km Elite race on Sunday at the fifth edition of the Sonasid High Atlas Ultra Trail (HAUT), held in Ouirgane, Al Haouz province, securing qualification for the Sierre-Zinal mountain race in Switzerland in August.
Ayyoub clinched first place in the men’s 21 km race, finishing in 1h 41min, ahead of Mounir El Ouali in second place with 1h 52min, and Aziz Yachou in third with 1h 55min.
“I hope this year I can finish in a good time in Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland,” he said, noting that this will be his third participation in the Swiss trail, having previously competed twice in the 31 km race.
Ayyoub said this was his fourth participation in the Ouirgane trail, noting that this year’s race was a bit challenging for him at the beginning.
El Amrany also secured a ticket for the Sierre-Zinal trail after finishing first in the women’s 21km race in 2h 25min, slightly ahead of Kaouthar El Hamra, who finished in 2h 26min, while Sophie Guillochain came third in 3h 17min.
“I’m so happy to have finished first despite the challenging course and strong competition,” she said.
El Amrany, an international trail runner with experience at events such as the Marathon des Sables, said she is excited to compete alongside international runners in Switzerland and hopes to finish among the top 10.
The final day of the Sonasid High Atlas Ultra Trail concluded with a prize ceremony for the 120km race, won by Said Ait Alkadi in 17h 14min, while Bouldourj finished second in 21h 29min.
On Saturday, Moroccan trail runners dominated the podium at HAUT, taking most of the top prizes across the 42km, 60km, and 80km races, which started from Imlil, in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The HAUT, which brought together over 1,150 participants from around 26 countries, aims to enhance the sporting visibility of the region and promote local talent through races of various distances, as well as a dedicated children’s race.
Beyond sport, the event also brought an economic boost to villages and surrounding areas, with hotels fully booked and restaurants seeing increased activity, and local associations and vendors benefiting from the influx of visitors.
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