Records
GR20 Records
Where we took twelve days, some cross the GR20 in under thirty hours. The speed records (FKT, Fastest Known Time) are dizzying, and they put our own figures into perspective.
Men
The men's record
The men's record now belongs to François D'Haene: on 9 July 2026, ten years after his first record, he completed the traverse in 29 h 46 — the first man under the mythical thirty-hour barrier. He dethrones Corsican Lambert Santelli, whose 2021 time (30 h 26 min 15 s on the FKT registry, rounded to 30 h 25 in the press) had stood for five years.
| Year | Runner | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | François D'Haene — current record | 29 h 46 |
| 2021 | Lambert Santelli | 30 h 25 |
| 2016 | François D'Haene | 31 h 06 |
| 2014 | Guillaume Peretti | 32 h 00 |
| 2009 | Kilian Jornet | 32 h 54 |
Women
The women's record
| Year | Runner | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Anne-Lise Rousset — current record | 35 h 50 |
| 2012 | Émilie Lecomte | 41 h 22 |
Categories of their own
Reverse direction, winter, unsupported and round-trip
| Category | Holder | Time | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| South → North direction | Jean-Pierre Costa | 48 h 18 | 2013 |
| Unsupported (full autonomy) | Sébastien Raichon | 41 h 53 | 2025 |
| Winter (snow-covered trail) | Jean-Louis Cinqui | 63 h 16 | 2012 |
| Round-trip (unratified) | Grégory Camerlo | 112 h 27 | 2025 |
The men's and women's records above are "supported" — set with pacers and resupply. In a class of its own, Sébastien Raichon holds the unsupported record, with no outside help or resupply whatsoever: 41 h 53 on 8 June 2025, improving his own time of 44 h 43 (October 2024).
Record broken: setting off from Calenzana on 8 July 2026 at 4:30 AM, François D'Haene reached Conca on the morning of 9 July in 29 h 46, over an hour ahead of Santelli's splits by the Col de Bavella. The mark still awaits official ratification (FKT registry, FFME Corsican league), but the thirty-hour barrier has fallen.
Putting it in perspective
What that actually means
The GR20 runs roughly 182 km with more than 11,000 m of positive elevation gain. Most hikers finish it in 12 to 16 days. The record, on the other hand, is that very same route swallowed whole in under 30 hours, with almost no sleep, over technical and exposed terrain.
Compare with care: until 2016 the route went through the Cirque de la Solitude; since then it crosses the Pointe des Éboulis — so times before and after don't cover exactly the same course. And only supported records (pacers and resupply, north-to-south) are ratified by the FFME's Corsican league: Sébastien Raichon's fully self-supported crossing, remarkable as it is, falls outside that official framework.
In other words, two pursuits that have almost nothing in common. Our twelve days tell the story of a traverse we lived, not a race — but seeing these times puts into perspective what the Corsican mountains can demand of a body. To compare with a realistic pace, take a look at our stage planner.
Sources
Where these figures come from
These times are compiled from specialist sources; speed records keep evolving, and this page will be updated when a new performance is officially ratified. Mon GR20 remains an independent personal site.