Réunion Island: La Diagonale des Fous

Clouds moving through mountain valleys on Réunion Island

I have visited Réunion Island twice to cover the race.

The main event is called La Diagonale des Fous — often translated as The Diagonal of the Madmen.　

The name says it all.

Réunion Island is a French island in the Indian Ocean.

Like Hawaiʻi, it holds a diverse range of climates within a single island.

The race is known as one of the world’s toughest 100-mile races, traversing volcanic cirques, tropical forests, rugged ridges, humid valleys, and ever-changing weather conditions.

During the race, runners cross the island from one climate to another.

They move through heat, mist, forest, volcanic ground, and steep mountain paths, often through the night.

What remains is the island itself.

Mist moving through the valleys.

Waterfalls emerging from beyond the greenery.

Heat along the coast.

Cool air in the mountains.

Dry volcanic earth.

And the feeling that the whole island seemed to move in time with the event.

The island is not just the setting for the race.
It is part of the race — mountains, forests, rocks, water, weather, and time.