Diagonale des Fous 2026: Who will take over from Baptiste Chassagne and Blandine L’Hirondel?

With defending champions Baptiste Chassagne and Blandine L’Hirondel absent, the Diagonale des Fous looks more open than ever on a reshaped, extended course. With hungry rookies up against seasoned contenders seeking redemption, the battle promises to be memorable on Réunion Island. Here is a look at the field, just days before the start on Thursday, October 15 at 10 p.m. (8 p.m. in mainland France).

Among the men, with the last seven winners absent, the Diagonale des Fous is guaranteed to crown a new champion. That is no slight on Antoine Guillon, the 2015 winner with seven podium finishes to his name, who is still lining up for this edition. The next champion will be one of the 2,839 entrants in the 2026 race.

The question is whether the rookies or the race veterans will make the most of the Reunionese terrain, with Frenchmen Baptiste Chassagne, Mathieu Blanchard, Benat Marmissole, Ludo Pommeret, Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz, and Italy’s Daniel Jung, winners of the last seven editions, all missing.

Hungry rookies and seasoned contenders seeking redemption

Given his pedigree, Britain’s Tom Evans (Asics) naturally stands out as one of the favorites. But his season has been a disappointment so far, which does not work in his favor. Forced to drop before the 100 km mark at the Hardrock 100 after struggling with the altitude, then kept out of the UTMB Mont Blanc by a stomach virus, the Brit will at least have the benefit of arriving fresh at the start. The downside is that he has no racing experience on these highly distinctive trails.

Quite the opposite applies to Swiss runner Jean-Philippe Tschumi (Kailas Fuga), whose name immediately comes to mind when the favorites are discussed. Tschumi finally finished the UTMB, which had always eluded him, last August, taking 10th place. Can he follow that up by reaching the top step of the podium at the Diagonale des Fous, after runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2022 and third place in 2023? That is exactly what we are hoping for, and the Swiss will arrive full of confidence.

Frenchman Vincent Esmiol (Kiprun) is neither a newcomer to the Diag’ nor a regular. On his first appearance, he finished sixth last year. That is still a useful sign. His preparation took him to the top of the standings at the UTOBI in late July, setting a new course record over its 72 km and 4,300 m of elevation gain. That came a few months after he dominated the MIUT, and a year after winning the full-distance Echappée Belle, another brutal rock garden of a race.

Also among the mainlanders, Hugo Deck (Adidas) has prepared for his Réunion debut by arriving well ahead of time on this unfamiliar terrain to scout the key sections and acclimatize. He has presumably used those three weeks to build on his summer win in the 75 km KAT 100 by UTMB in Austria, as well as his back-to-back victories at the MaXi Race in 2025 and 2026.

Gautier Airiau (Scott) could play the spoiler after showing his ability on technical terrain, with runner-up finishes in the 110 km Restonica trail in 2026, at the 2026 MIUT and at the 2025 TDS.

The old hands, Thibaut Baronian (Salomon) and Thibaut Garrivier (Hoka), are unlikely to be overawed. Baronian only recently returned to racing after knee surgery and two years lost to injury. His runner-up finish at the Trail des Aiguilles Rouges in late September put him back in the mix, but will it be enough to challenge for the win?

As for Thibaut Garrivier, he rarely makes much noise, but his talent and work ethic should see him arrive on the start line fully prepared.

Léo Rogaume (Kailas Fuga) will certainly have the backing of the locals after living on the island for years and knowing it like the back of his hand. Third at the 2025 TDS and twice inside the Diagonale des Fous’ top 20, in 18th in 2022 and 16th in 2023, his steady progress could bring him closer to the front.

Fabrice Payet will be the favorite to carry Réunion’s colors highest. Sixth at the Diag’ in 2025 and 2023, he won the 2025 Ultra Trail des Géants on his home island, a race comparable in scale to the 2026 Diag’, with 180 km and 9,700 m of elevation gain. Last May, he also won the Raid 974, again on home soil, over 101 km and 5,800 m of elevation gain. One to watch closely. Belgian Jérôme Vanderschaeghe (Asics), fifth last year and seventh in 2022 at the Diagonale des Fous, can aim even higher after winning the Monte Rosa by UTMB 2026.

Jérôme Vanderschaeghe (center) after winning Monte Rosa 2026

The other outsiders include Josh Wade (The North Face), the American who finished third at the 2025 UTMB and will be discovering Réunion, along with Frenchmen Rémi Berchet (fifth here in 2023) and Martin Kern (Arcteryx), fifth in 2024. Swiss runner Diego Pazos will be there to relive the good times from his fourth-place finishes in 2015, 2017 and 2024, and will race this edition alongside his wife Maya. That leaves the pressure to everyone else.

The entry list

Ruth Croft the overwhelming favorite among the women

The women’s field is every bit as deep as the men’s. Especially with the arrival of the current world No. 1 in ultratrail, New Zealander Ruth Croft (Adidas).

Forced to withdraw two days before the 2026 UTMB Mont-Blanc to return home to be with her mother, the 2025 UTMB champion spent a month running on home soil, including in Arthur Pass National Park. It is hard to see who could trouble her, especially after she wrote on social media that she had “never felt this good in her career.” Even if she has never raced on these trails…

Marianne Hogan could have been one of the New Zealander’s most serious challengers. Third at the Western States in June 2026, the Canadian Team Salomon runner unfortunately suffered a calf aponeurosis tear four weeks before the Grand Raid. She had to stop running for 15 days and could only resume a week before the start. But you never know, especially with the strength of character she possesses…

French runners Sarah Vieuille (Kiprun) and Manon Bohard (Hoka) should also be at the sharp end. Vieuille put on a masterclass to win the latest TDS, and knows the Diagonale well, having finished fourth twice, in 2022 and 2025.

Jura native Manon Bohard also knows the traps of Réunion perfectly, having won here in 2024. Despite a start to the season disrupted by a stress fracture of the sacroiliac joint in her pelvis, Bohard returned to winning ways with an excellent performance at the full-distance Echappée Belle in August.

Manon Bohard at the latest Restonica Trail

French runner and island resident Émilie Maroteaux is also a former winner of the race, in 2021, followed by a podium finish in 2023, when she was third. Forced to drop last year, she appears to have regained her form in 2026, with third place at the Restonica Trail in July, over 110 km and 7,200 m of elevation gain, followed by a win at the Raid 974.

As for Claire Bannwarth (Fuga), she has returned to her relentless racing schedule after surgery became unavoidable on an ankle tendon. This summer, she stacked up the ultras, the latest being the Tor 330, where she finished fifth.

Germany’s Eva Sperger (Salomon) is not entering unknown territory, having already finished fourth at the Grand Raid in 2023.

Runner-up at the 2024 TDS and winner of the Ultra Snowdonia earlier in the season, Swiss runner Ariane Wilhem (Compressport) thrives on difficult courses and conditions, but will be discovering Réunion.

The same goes for American Alyssa Clark (On), who has enjoyed an impressive 2026 season, including third place at the 2026 TDS and second at the Canyon Endurance Runs.

Also taking part is another former winner, Pyrenean runner Jocelyne Pauly (the 2018 champion), who is this time joining her brother in the race without any ambition of pure performance.

The entry list