Mauritian runners shine at Moka Trail 2017

The 5th edition of the Moka Trail took place last Saturday and saw the participation of thousands. The main race named ‘Le Grand Pouce’, which is over 30km, saw the victory of the Mauritian Nitish Jhugursing. The latter, who was at his very first participation, completed the race in 3 hours 04 minutes and 03 seconds. ‘Le Grand Pouce’ race saw the participation of 130 people including well-known runners from Reunion Island, Gerald Trules and Frederick Duchemann.

“This is the first time I have participated in the Moka Trail and I am very happy with this victory that I dedicate to all Mauritians. This participation will serve as training for a marathon and a half marathon that I will attend soon. I knew how to balance my steps in order to keep a good rhythm all along the race. I am very pleased with the way the trail went and I welcome the efforts of the organizers. I will definitely come back next year,” said the winner at the end of the race. The runners from Reunion Island also welcomed the organization and, in a spirit of fair play, the performances of their Mauritian competitors.

On the woman’s side, it was Rachel Queland who shone in the main event of the Moka Trail 2017, which saw a record number of participants with over 2,200 runners. The 6-km race had the most entries, which indicated that the trail is gradually gaining ground in the local sports scene.

The three courses of the Moka Trail 2017 each attracted a large number of participants, but it is the Fun Jog that will have gathered the most fans of the trail. This 6 km long course saw the inscription of 1,200 participants, including almost 200 children aged between eight and 14. The intermediate route, called Petit Both, welcomed 900 followers of the discipline over a distance of 15 km.

“We want to make this discipline accessible to as many people as possible. That is what we have been working on over the last five years. We are pleased to see such a large number of participants this year, which shows that our strategy is bearing fruit,” said Yannick Lincoln, Moka Trail's race director. The 2017 edition benefited from the sponsorship of Swan and the Banque des Mascareignes.