Trail running, Monte Prealba Up and Down, the longest race of the spring

The race circuit measures 8.7 kilometers with an altitude difference of 582 meters. Seems easy, despite some very steep uphill sections and the often treacherous terrain that requires attention. The harder it will be drive it for 12, 24 or even 36 consecutive hours. Now in its sixth edition, Monte Prealba Up and Down it is the only trail running test of this kind in Italy and because of its particularity it immediately aroused the interest of many of the main champions of the discipline and ultra-distances. The race, which awards the title of Italian JUTE champion (Italian Association of Ultramarathon and Trail), will be held from 21 to 23 May in Bione, in the province of Brescia, and is organized by Bione Trailers Team (www.bionetrailersteam.it).

An out of the ordinary experience

Running on the circuit, although not short, for such a long time requires great mental strength but at the same time offers new experiences. When the effort begins to be too much, in fact, it is difficult to resist the temptation to stop your race in the welcoming life base set up at the beginning of the circuit. In any case, the regulation provides for the possibility of stopping to rest, even by dozing off on the cots, for an unlimited time but the ranking would suffer and restarting after a too long stop can be problematic, also because immediately after each turning point you face a long climb. It is quite unusual, however, to admire the champions in action. We observe them during the voiceovers, when they arrive behind them at double speed and stop to give them the way. The unwritten rule of the Bione race is mutual encouragement: the champion encourages the slow competitor, which in turn pushes the stronger one. The sharing of effort and the same meter of path lead to an impossible familiarity on the usual on-line tracks. Top runners and tapascioni also share the refreshment tables, where impressions of the route and its possible pitfalls are exchanged on an equal footing.

The Brescia weekend is not reserved for long and very long-lasting runners. The program also includes a test over a distance of “just” six hours (also valid for the Italian specialty title), while the Speed ​​lap is dedicated to sprinters, that is the race on a single lap of the course to be tackled completely outside the threshold. . Unfortunately Covid regulations will limit convivial moments, historical characteristic of trail running races and in particular of Bionese challenges, but in this troubled season the runners have now metabolized the sacrifices. Everything is fine, as long as you can compete.

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