The magnificent cross-country competition in the landscape of the Alps

Every year, running and nature lovers meet in a run in the verdant lands of the mountain range of the city of Biella, immersed in the northern Alps. The landscape is truly enchanting and for those who love the mountains it is truly one of the most beautiful routes ever. I was lucky enough to be able to spend a few days in the area at this time of the year, and only be able to walk through the paths of the woods ... It seems to be in paradise.

The 40th edition of the Biella-Piedicavallo is scheduled for Sunday 21 March, although the entire organization has been difficult due to the pandemic period we are experiencing. In reality, the reaction of the participants was truly extraordinary and over 400 athletes registered. The route is anything but simple and consists of continuous ups and downs between dirt paths and small stretches of asphalt for a distance of 18.7 km and a difference in height of 615 meters.

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Facing such a race requires a lot of training and concentration, as well as a well-defined strategy, based on the physical strength of each runner. Personally, having competed at an amateur level, the psychophysical state of each athlete is fundamental: you really easily go from euphoria to a real crisis. Athletes have to face a lot of physical effort and subject their physique to different types of muscle fatigue that obviously adapt to the course. During the climbs and descents the short muscles work a lot, as this is responsible for short and precise movements, while in the flatter journeys the pace is much longer and another type of musculature is activated.

The race, despite the preparation of the athletes, has a high percentage of small injuries: placing the foot incorrectly on an uneven clod of earth or a stone, can easily cause a sprain of the foot or leg and irreversibly compromise the race . It is very important to warm up before the competition and to stretch the muscles to minimize muscle injuries. Really a good challenge, not only athletic but also psychological. The course is completed in an average of one hour and twenty minutes by a professional athlete but the record was confirmed by Italo Quazzola with 1.04.27, a truly incredible time.

The covid this year has limited the presence of the many fans who attend the race every year, along a bit of the entire path and route, and the athletes are obliged to wear goggles for the first 500 meters, trying to avoid any close contact during the start-up phase. After this first course, they will be free to remove the mask during the competition and will have to wear it again near the finish line. Caution is never too much and it is the requisites that have allowed the competition to be confirmed again this year.

In the men's field, the fight for success seemed limited to the Azzurri Italo Quazzola and Xavier Chevrier, great specialist in mountain running, but the entry at the last moment of the strong Rwandan Jean Baptiste Simukeka changed the cards on the table. Even among women, the great favorite is an African athlete from Burundi Clementine Mukandanga. The multi-titled blue Elena Romagnolo, Italian record holder of the 3000 hedges, battled it out