The Italian Fidal title of Trail Corto is up for grabs. Leafing through the starting list, the favorites on the eve are all for Luca Del Pero (Sky Lario Runners), second 12 months ago, but above all world specialty bronze in Innsbruck in 2023. Competing for the title are his teammate Lorenzo Beltrami and Fabio from Como Ruga (La Recastello), also watch out for Andrea Rota (Osa Valmadrera) third in 2023 on the Colmen trails; if he has recovered his energy from last Sunday, he could be in the game.
Possible outsiders are the multiple Italian player Luca Cagnati (Valli Bergamasche), the young Mattia Bertoncini (Valsesia), the indestructible Sergio Bonaldi (Imperia) and the Premanese native of the organizing club Mattia Gianola (Team Valtellina).
In the women’s category, the home athlete Alice Gaggi (La Recastello) will try to reconfirm herself on the top step of the Colmen Trail, whose main opponents will be Cecilia Basso (Orecchiella), second in 2023 and the always competitive Elisa Desco (Alta Valtellina), for the first time in Morbegno.
Also in the 16km race, having reached 300 participants, the Italian Alberto Vender (Valchiese), already winner in Morbegno twice, returns to test the condition and try to improve further; he is the number one favorite for the day’s success. Possible protagonists chasing a podium finish of the day include Massimiliano De Bernardi (Alto Lario), Marco Zanga (La Recastello) and Paolo Bonanomi (Falchi Lecco).
For the women, however, the forecast is more uncertain, with Elisa Sortini (Alta Valtellina), winner 12 months ago, who will have to contend with the girls from La Recastello, Vivien Bonzi and Beatrice Bianchi.
On the 16km route with a positive difference in altitude of 1030m, the records to be beaten are those recorded in 2023: 1h24’10” for the men and 1h41’01” for the women.
The 33km route, due to a landslide in the municipality of Talamona, underwent a small variation under the Alpini temple; the times recorded last year (2h37’52” for the men and 3h10″03″ for the women), even if beaten, will therefore not be considered new records.
The program of the tricolor weekend has been confirmed, with the secretariat open for bib collection on Saturday at the Colonia Fluviale of Morbegno from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm.
On Sunday 14 April the secretariat will open at 6.30 am for the CT33 until 7.45 am, while from 8.00 am to 9.45 am there will be the distribution of bib numbers for the CT16.
The start of the CT33 will be at 8.15, while two hours later, at 10.15 it will be the turn of the 16km race. Expected arrival for the first athlete of the Italian Championship scheduled for 10.50 am, while the arrival of the first of the shorter race will be at 11.40 am.
Lunch starts from 12.00 and awards ceremony at 3.00.