William Mennesson and Aurélie Morizot win the first-ever Monaco International Triathlon

The first Monaco International Triathlon brought 1,200 triathletes to the start line at Larvotto beach for the M and L formats. Held over two days, it ended a fourteen-year drought of triathlon in the Principality. Frenchman William Mennesson and Frenchwoman Aurélie Morizot will go down as the first winners of this comeback race.

The weekend kicked off on Saturday, November 7 in Menton with the Trophée des Alpes-Maritimes, a 12.8 km cycling time trial from Menton up to the Col de la Madone, with 905 m of elevation gain. The race stretched the event beyond Monaco and put the roads and landscapes of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the spotlight. The men's race went to Drake Dreuel, a former American pro cyclist turned triathlete who now lives in Nice, in 36:58. The women's race went to former elite triathlete Michela Santini, in 45:15.

Full Trophy results

Ideal conditions to close out the season

On Sunday morning, the L and M triathletes set off from Larvotto beach. The courses took them from the Mediterranean to the roads of the hinterland, before a finish in the heart of Monaco, on the iconic Formula 1 circuit.

Despite the time of year, the weather played along. With water around 20 degrees and a calm sea, the 1,200 triathletes dove into the Mediterranean from Larvotto beach.

The 300 pioneers of the L went first, swimming 2 km, followed by the 700 M participants, who had 1 km to cover. Another 200 relay teams also took part across the different formats.

Mennesson and Morizot win the L with no one close

No surprise in the L: Frenchman William Mennesson was first out of the water, nearly 40 seconds ahead of Gabin Sage. He never gave up the lead, and his advantage grew to 11 minutes by the end of the bike. Mennesson finished ahead of Maxence Castel and David Marchaud.

The women's race was no contest either, with a clear win for Aurélie Morizot. Out front from the first hundred metres of the swim, she finished 45 minutes ahead of her closest rival, Marie Parmentier. Carolina Cobos completed the women's podium.

L triathlon podiums

Men

1) William Mennesson (France): 4:36:21

2) Maxence Castel (France): 4:44:03

3) David Marchaud (France): 4:48:34

Women

1) Aurélie Morizot (France): 5:28:12

2) Marie Parmentier (France): 6:14:00

3) Carolina Cobos (France): 6:24:59

Full L distance results

In the M, AS Monaco Triathlon member Mathieu Merland and Italy's Lorenza Beccaria put their names on the roll of honour of this first Monaco International Triathlon.

M triathlon podiums

Men

1) Mathieu Merland (France): 2:06:57

2) Luc Vitali (France): 2:12:15

3) Sébastien Bortenlänger (France): 2:19:19

Women

1) Lorenza Beccaria (Italy): 2:26:16

2) Matilde Locatelli (France): 2:32:54

3) Marylin Pretre (France): 2:42:33

Full M distance results

Triathlon's return to Monaco, long pushed for by the Monegasque Triathlon Federation and the New Dream Côte d'Azur association, closes the season for many triathletes and raises hopes that a triathlon will once again be held in Monaco on a regular basis.

With the backing of Monegasque authorities, local partners and a large crew of volunteers, this new event has everything it takes to become a must-do on the end-of-season calendar.