Marie Goncalves

From track to trail, a turn without signaling

It all starts on the tartan. A mom who runs, a club, and a little girl who loves competition. Marie got her first license at age 7 and has never changed clubs since. On the track, she specializes in the 3000 m steeplechase and gets a taste of the very top level: two appearances at the French Elite Championships. Running already runs in her veins ❤️. Then 2020 arrives, and with it the cancellation of competitions. The French Cross Championships wiped off the calendar. What does a competitor do when you take away her bib? 🤷 She looks for another. An Asics ad pops up on her feeds: the Trail Elite Factory program, a hunt for young talent. Marie tries her luck… and sweeps both the selection day and the final. The payoff: a pro contract and a one-way ticket to Team Asics 🎯.

Her first foray onto the trails dates from that year, on a 25 km race. The rise is immediate. As early as 2021, she wins the SaintExpress, one of the formats of the Asics SaintéLyon. Same again in 2022 on the SaintéSprint, another race at the same event, along with a 2nd place at the French Long Trail Championships. The track revealed a runner; the mountains revealed a trail runner ⛰️.

Lawyer by day, trail runner by night

What sets Marie apart from the pack? On one side, 8 years of law school without a single schedule accommodation before becoming a lawyer. On the other, the pace of an elite athlete. Two lives, one calendar to juggle it all 📅. It was at the heart of this double life that she claimed her finest title. The SaintéLyon, the oldest of French nature races, is run at night by headlamp, between Saint-Étienne and Lyon. Marie had dreamed of it for a long time ✨. Second in 2023, she was only hoping for a podium the following year, before winning for good on the 70th edition, completed in 7h03'27'' over the 82 km flagship distance. A dream fulfilled at home, which gave the Lyon region a new queen of the trails 👑.

A record that climbs faster than the elevation gain

The Asics SaintéLyon was only the visible part of a very packed 2024 season. That same year, she wins the 33 km of the Grésylienne, the 49 km of the Trail Alsace Grand Est by UTMB, and the 35 km of the Trail des Chamois. In October 2025, she takes 2nd place in the Grand Trail des Templiers 🔥. Then 2026 drives the point home 🔨. In spring, on Mont Ventoux, she becomes French long-trail vice-champion: 2nd at the Trail du Ventoux over 50 km and 2500 m D+, 2'30'' behind Audrey Tanguy ⏱️. In June, in Kamnik (Slovenia), she wins the team silver medal at the European Championships, with a 10th-place individual finish in 4h56'01'' 🥈. Summer confirms the shift toward longer distances: 2nd woman at the Lavaredo 80K in 9h12'49'' in the Dolomites, then 9th at the CCC 2026 in 12h51'08'', the best Frenchwoman between Courmayeur and Chamonix. Her UTMB® Index rises to 774 🚀.

Keep an eye on her next bib, and remember to book yours 👀.