The French ultrarunner, a global reference in endurance and navigation races, will take on one of the most demanding events in the trail running calendar, set to take place November 5–9 in Tejeda
French ultrarunning legend Sébastien Raichon (Vaucluse, France, 1972) will compete for the first time in the 360º The Challenge Gran Canaria 2025, adding significant prestige to the tenth edition of the race, which is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most technical trail events in the world. With an unmarked course — last year featuring over 250 kilometers and 12,000 meters of elevation gain — the 360º requires runners to navigate via GPS, manage sleep deprivation, and perform under conditions of extreme endurance and autonomy.
A Legendary Track Record
Raichon is no stranger to these kinds of epic challenges. In both 2023 and 2024, he claimed victory at the Tor des Glaciers, one of the planet’s longest and most grueling races. The route stretches 450 kilometers through Italy’s Aosta Valley and includes 32,000 meters of elevation gain. In his 2024 win, he completed the course in 114 hours and 29 minutes, with only seven hours of sleep, smashing his own previous record by ten hours and improving on the historical best set by Italy’s Luca Papi in 2019 by twenty hours.
In 2023, Raichon also became the first finisher of the Chartreuse Terminorum, known as the “French Barkley” — a brutal 300-kilometer race with 25,000 meters of elevation gain where navigation and self-sufficiency are crucial. The following year, he took part in the original Barkley Marathons in the United States, completing four of the five loops in the notoriously difficult course. In 2020, he also set the fastest known time for the alpine GR5 route from Thonon-les-Bains to Nice, covering 623 kilometers and 34,000 meters of ascent in full autonomy in just 150 hours.
Among his many achievements, notable mentions include his second-place finishes at the SwissPeaks 660 (2024) and the Cursa di Ciclopi (2023), a 511-kilometer ultra in Sicily.
One of the World’s Top Adventure Racers
With a background in athletics, Raichon has become a specialist in multi-day ultra trail races and adventure raids. He has won the Adventure Racing World Cup eight times as captain of his team and led France to victory in the 2024 Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador.
Raichon’s confirmation not only raises the competitive bar for the 360º The Challenge Gran Canaria, but also cements its reputation as a key international ultratrail event.
Over 80 Participants Already Confirmed for 2025
So far, the 2025 edition of the self-supported race has attracted over 80 athletes from 17 countries, including a record-breaking seven female runners — the highest number of women ever registered for the event. Registration remains open via the race’s official website: www.360thechallenge.com.
The 360º The Challenge Gran Canaria is organized by Arista Eventos, with the support of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Gran Canaria Tourism and the Island Sports Institute; the Government of the Canary Islands through Promotur – Islas Canarias; the Tejeda Town Council; Joma and Fred. Olsen Express; and with the collaboration of sponsors such as Aguas de Teror, Pepsi, Lorenzo González Automoción, Emicela, Gofio La Piña, Bonflex, Provital, and Inetel.