Ciao,
My European racing experience in one word is best described as wholesome. Each race has offered a growing experience in learning how to run certain types of courses, running against the best mountain runners in world continuously, and competing internationally. My last race offered nothing less. Top mountain runners from Ethiopia, Italy, USA, Kenya, France, Japan, and New Zealand came to the small town in the Piemonte Region of Italy for an epic event. Since 1989 this event has been around! Its amazing to me to be able to take part in a race that has so much history behind it. Being that this race commemorates the liberation of Italy and the battles the Italian Resistance groups fought in the 1940's its hard not to feel a sense of pride in being part of the Elite field at this race. The race has an opening ceremony which takes place in the main plaza about 500m from the start line (partenza). The partenza was modified this year and again the course watched another change as it has seen on multiple occasions throughout its long history. There had been some construction going on...for a few years. So, finally this year I was able to run the original start of the course. However, an avalanche ruined any hopes of comparing times from the previous year as the route from 7k to the finish was different.
Two members from this years US Mountain running National Team (Rickey G. & me) and Simon G. (2008 member) made up this years team for the international team competition, which no longer exists, but many of the different countries try to represent their country to see who the best is. I think we may have been the best this year? The course featured some really steep climbs as it usually does. Of course the start is flat for about 1k through the city center and then up to the foothills. You're sure to get a few nose fulls of smoke heading through the center. The front pack went out blazing hot, I found myself in about 10th place going into the 2km mark! I was a bit relaxed and awaiting the hard rocky sections in the early stages and mid points. I moved up a bit through the pack and caught up with Simon, but again, I was not where I wanted to be so I kept picking of runners and moving up. By the last climb on the goat trails in the grassy steep hills I had planned to make a big move for the final 800 meters downhill to prepare for the downhills on the World Championship course the next week. This plan was thwarted as the fog set in extremely thick and you could not see one foot land in front of the other let alone see a runner 10 seconds ahead. So, I just played it safe and made it down the hill and held on to my position at 5th. Simon 9th, Rickey 10th to complete the US showing at the race. The world champion from 2008 came out and won the race in great fashion.
The ceremony also could also be described as "wholesome". A very long ceremony, which included something very bizarre that I have only seen once in my entire racing career (at last years event), a Catholic Church service! The service includes some singing and also some reading. Of course my Spanish didn't help much in the way of understanding Italian so I just observed the service with curiosity. Following the service, members of the Church and also some runners took part in the Catholic tradition of Communion. I have never seen Communion carried out in this manner, but the Priest dips the bread in the wine and hands the bread to you and the line continues likewise. We joked that this must be a great way to keep the freeloaders from drinking extra wine and eating multiple pieces of bread. Another part of the ceremony included a commemoration to the resistance, in which the race is run in remembrance. Flags are brought to this service and held high as locals inform the public in Italian of course, about the history of the trail we run and the resistance fighters who characterize the foundation of the Italian liberation in 1945. After a hard run (at altitude) all I usually can think about is food, but the ceremony must continue as the prize ceremony where the athletes get their money follows the Church service and remembrance ceremony.
My European racing experience in one word is best described as wholesome. Each race has offered a growing experience in learning how to run certain types of courses, running against the best mountain runners in world continuously, and competing internationally. My last race offered nothing less. Top mountain runners from Ethiopia, Italy, USA, Kenya, France, Japan, and New Zealand came to the small town in the Piemonte Region of Italy for an epic event. Since 1989 this event has been around! Its amazing to me to be able to take part in a race that has so much history behind it. Being that this race commemorates the liberation of Italy and the battles the Italian Resistance groups fought in the 1940's its hard not to feel a sense of pride in being part of the Elite field at this race. The race has an opening ceremony which takes place in the main plaza about 500m from the start line (partenza). The partenza was modified this year and again the course watched another change as it has seen on multiple occasions throughout its long history. There had been some construction going on...for a few years. So, finally this year I was able to run the original start of the course. However, an avalanche ruined any hopes of comparing times from the previous year as the route from 7k to the finish was different.
Two members from this years US Mountain running National Team (Rickey G. & me) and Simon G. (2008 member) made up this years team for the international team competition, which no longer exists, but many of the different countries try to represent their country to see who the best is. I think we may have been the best this year? The course featured some really steep climbs as it usually does. Of course the start is flat for about 1k through the city center and then up to the foothills. You're sure to get a few nose fulls of smoke heading through the center. The front pack went out blazing hot, I found myself in about 10th place going into the 2km mark! I was a bit relaxed and awaiting the hard rocky sections in the early stages and mid points. I moved up a bit through the pack and caught up with Simon, but again, I was not where I wanted to be so I kept picking of runners and moving up. By the last climb on the goat trails in the grassy steep hills I had planned to make a big move for the final 800 meters downhill to prepare for the downhills on the World Championship course the next week. This plan was thwarted as the fog set in extremely thick and you could not see one foot land in front of the other let alone see a runner 10 seconds ahead. So, I just played it safe and made it down the hill and held on to my position at 5th. Simon 9th, Rickey 10th to complete the US showing at the race. The world champion from 2008 came out and won the race in great fashion.
The ceremony also could also be described as "wholesome". A very long ceremony, which included something very bizarre that I have only seen once in my entire racing career (at last years event), a Catholic Church service! The service includes some singing and also some reading. Of course my Spanish didn't help much in the way of understanding Italian so I just observed the service with curiosity. Following the service, members of the Church and also some runners took part in the Catholic tradition of Communion. I have never seen Communion carried out in this manner, but the Priest dips the bread in the wine and hands the bread to you and the line continues likewise. We joked that this must be a great way to keep the freeloaders from drinking extra wine and eating multiple pieces of bread. Another part of the ceremony included a commemoration to the resistance, in which the race is run in remembrance. Flags are brought to this service and held high as locals inform the public in Italian of course, about the history of the trail we run and the resistance fighters who characterize the foundation of the Italian liberation in 1945. After a hard run (at altitude) all I usually can think about is food, but the ceremony must continue as the prize ceremony where the athletes get their money follows the Church service and remembrance ceremony.
They keep it basic, but tasty. A yellow Ugali (sorry I can't remember what its called exactly), beef stew with sausage, some assorted meat and blue cheeses, a nutella pie!, beer, wine, grappa!, and of course seconds are allowed, but you have to endure the hassle of the servers asking for another ticket, which each year I have been here I have never gotten so I get hassled everytime I get food after this race. This year a guy recognized that I had run fast so he told the servers that I was fast and she let me get another plate. Barter system? (: Funny story about blue cheeses. So my buddy Jono (multiple world champion) told me about blue cheese and that I was eating it the wrong way. "The brine has been sitting in caves so bats have crapped all over it" he says. All the years I have eaten blue cheese I have always eaten the brine, but no longer.
Next day, I traveled with Rickey and Simon up to Milano to pick up Ms. Lundy who is on the women's team this year for Worlds. From there I had them drop me off in the middle of Milano as I'm a big fan of exploration and love to be placed in the middle of nowhere and figure the way back to my destination. They continued north towards the race site and I decided to try and find where my Uncle was in Milano. I explored a while, then exchanged a few words of Italian/Spanish with locals to figure out where the best food was. I was sure not to ask them how to get around as I love to try to figure it out on my own. I ended up catching a bus towards the outskirts of town for a try at some of the best risotto in the area I was told. Risotto is a type of rice that has the ability to absorb large amounts of liquids and release starch. Its a bigger grain and stickier than most rices and also very creamy as the starches bind together to make a cream. These types of grains are popular in the Lombardy and Piemonte regions of Italy and there are millions of different recipes and ways to make it. The best grain of Risotto I have been told is the Vialone Nano being that not only does it cook faster, but it absorbs condiments and flavors better. After filling myself with risotto and a "secondi piatti" (I think second portion, usually meat) of a honey glazed lamb dish called L' Agnello, I headed towards public transportation, which included a mixture of buses so I had to do some reading. I ended up finding my Uncle's hotel and we hungout around town and even got some gelato and dinner. I feel lucky to have been on the World team twice now with each year a family supporter coming along for the trip. Its not easy getting family to come being that traveling is sometimes stressful and expensive so I'm truly gratful for the support. It was good to introduce my Uncle to the greatness of gelato. After a night in Milan I met up with Nancy and Brandy from the US team and we headed North to Campodolocino (home of the World Championships). I have checked out the course and let me tell you, its gonna be a tough one. 3 laps, 13.1 km, and running up and down some very bumpy goat trails
Next day, I traveled with Rickey and Simon up to Milano to pick up Ms. Lundy who is on the women's team this year for Worlds. From there I had them drop me off in the middle of Milano as I'm a big fan of exploration and love to be placed in the middle of nowhere and figure the way back to my destination. They continued north towards the race site and I decided to try and find where my Uncle was in Milano. I explored a while, then exchanged a few words of Italian/Spanish with locals to figure out where the best food was. I was sure not to ask them how to get around as I love to try to figure it out on my own. I ended up catching a bus towards the outskirts of town for a try at some of the best risotto in the area I was told. Risotto is a type of rice that has the ability to absorb large amounts of liquids and release starch. Its a bigger grain and stickier than most rices and also very creamy as the starches bind together to make a cream. These types of grains are popular in the Lombardy and Piemonte regions of Italy and there are millions of different recipes and ways to make it. The best grain of Risotto I have been told is the Vialone Nano being that not only does it cook faster, but it absorbs condiments and flavors better. After filling myself with risotto and a "secondi piatti" (I think second portion, usually meat) of a honey glazed lamb dish called L' Agnello, I headed towards public transportation, which included a mixture of buses so I had to do some reading. I ended up finding my Uncle's hotel and we hungout around town and even got some gelato and dinner. I feel lucky to have been on the World team twice now with each year a family supporter coming along for the trip. Its not easy getting family to come being that traveling is sometimes stressful and expensive so I'm truly gratful for the support. It was good to introduce my Uncle to the greatness of gelato. After a night in Milan I met up with Nancy and Brandy from the US team and we headed North to Campodolocino (home of the World Championships). I have checked out the course and let me tell you, its gonna be a tough one. 3 laps, 13.1 km, and running up and down some very bumpy goat trails
This is part of the cultural festival I mentioned. Some singings and dancing took place right before the announcer introduces each of the top runners to the locals in the central plaza.
Here with my buddies I saw after the race. They spoke no English, but my Spanish helped a bit. Basically all they wanted to do was get me drunk I think and show me a few of the local beers. Enjoyed!
Here with my buddies I saw after the race. They spoke no English, but my Spanish helped a bit. Basically all they wanted to do was get me drunk I think and show me a few of the local beers. Enjoyed!
Here with the US team and our friend Yujiro from Japan
The long awaited awards ceremony! As you can see a well mixed crowd of runners there. Many countries and many good runners. I must say it was weird to meet a Kenyan who could speak Italian, thats gotta be rare. Also rare, a Japanese runner in Italy for a mountain race. The cultural festival that took place the same week of the race was fitting being that so many different countries were represented in the race
Well thats all for now, I will post again with pics from the World Championships location in Madesimo and Motta, Italy.
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