Great success for the Night Trekking of the Brunello Crossing

The rain, which fell heavily both yesterday and today, and the mud did not dampen the enthusiasm of the 1650 participants in the 7th edition of the Brunello Crossing 2024, organized by the SSD Montalcino Trail with the support of the Municipal Administration and the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino. Despite the adverse weather conditions, the routes, which started and finished in the charming setting of Piazza del Popolo in Montalcino, once again won the affection of the participants who challenged themselves on the trails and dirt roads of the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Three competitive races were offered (the 45 km Banfi Trophy, the 24 km Val di Suga Trophy, and the 14 km Barbi Trophy), accompanied by the Nordic Walking Trophy, a non-competitive walk. “I am very satisfied with how the entire organizing team has worked,” emphasizes SSD Montalcino Trail President Alessio Strada, “even in these difficult weather conditions. We are also happy that none of the participants incurred any accidents or serious injuries. 1650 is an excellent number that certifies the constant growth that our event is experiencing. Another element to consider is how, in all the races including the non-competitive one, those who had registered showed up at the start despite the weather. This means that this event is gaining the affection of the participants, who come from many regions of Italy and beyond.”

BANFI TROPHY 45 KM – The longest race of the event, the Banfi Trophy 45 km, was dominated by Marco Biondi, a Tuscan who moved to Brescia ten years ago. It was an elimination race, as described by the winner, representing Atletica Franciacorta, just minutes after crossing the finish line: “After the start, a small group of four breakaway riders immediately formed, then we were reduced to three, and halfway through the race, we were down to two. Ten kilometers from the finish, I managed to launch the decisive attack and then sprinted towards Montalcino.” Biondi, a professional firefighter who only started running four years ago, completed his effort in 3:47:02, ahead of Marco Menergardi (G.S. Orobie) in 3:54:50 and Alessandro Celli in 3:57:56.

The women’s race instead awarded Vicenza’s Ada Banu (Facerunners), who, with a time of 5:05:51, managed to interpret the difficulties of the course and handle the effort with a certain tactical acumen. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to achieve success. However, the strategy of starting cautiously and then trying to unleash myself in the second part of the race won. In the last 10 km, I felt really good, had the energy, and pushed myself, managing to gradually distance myself from the competition.” The Venetian, who loves Tuscany and often visits to compete, finished ahead of Lorena Piastra (Tx Fitness S.S.D. ARL) in 5:13:40 and Cristina Bazzeu in 5:22:31.

VAL DI SUGA TROPHY 24 KM – This year, the Val di Suga Trophy 24 km spoke a Lazio dialect. Indeed, among men, the victory went to Simone Proietti, a native of Celano (Rome) and the spearhead of the eponymous sports group. Proietti, after a cautious start, gradually moved up position by position to join the group of leading athletes around the 6th km mark. Shortly after the 10th km, in a very technical downhill section, the Lazio native broke away, sprinting solo to the finish line in 1:51:43. “I am very satisfied with my performance, especially because towards the end, where mud dominated, I had to endure some annoying cramps,” said the day’s winner, skillfully managing Giovanni Domenico Nucera (Asd Gruppo Sportivo Lucchese) attempted comeback in the final stretch. Nucera finished second with a time of 1:54:11, while Robert Ferrari climbed to the third step of the podium in 1:55:43.

The women’s race was dominated by Pina Deiana, a Sardinian competing for the Umbrian team A.S.P.A Bastia. The trail running specialist, born in 1971, completed the 24 km course in 2:10:51, immediately making her mark on this distance after achieving a hat-trick of victories in previous years on the 14 km course. “Today, I challenged myself to prepare for upcoming, more demanding races in terms of distance. The course today was made very difficult by the rain and mud, but I am satisfied with how my body responded.” The podium was completed by Deborah Molinaro in 2:28:28 and Simona Rossi (Trail Running Project Asd) in 2:40:47.

BARBI TROPHY 14 KM – The Barbi Trophy 14 km was dominated by the duo of athletes from the Filirun Team Asd, Alessandro Fazzi and Federica Perugini. Fazzi, making his debut on the trails of Val d’Orcia, unleashed the decisive action after just 4 km, breaking away and crossing the finish line with arms raised in 1:03:15. “It was the third trail race of my career, and I must admit that, even in the most challenging sections, I felt comfortable,” commented Fazzi, who, at the finish, outpaced the duo from Asd Pol. Chianciano, composed of Gioele Benigni, finishing second in 1:05:08, and Tommaso Grigiotti, third with a time of 1:05:55.

In the women’s race, Federica Perugini clinched victory, surprised by her performance that allowed her to win with arms raised after 1:17:27. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to hit the jackpot because this is the first race I’ve participated in after starting to run again this winter. After four years off, I’ve rediscovered the pleasure and joy of running. Today, I really enjoyed myself, and in the final stretch, running through vineyards, which are a bit of my natural habitat since I work on a farm, was really beautiful.” The runner from Arezzo managed to hold off Venetian Silvia Sangalli (Atletica Dolomiti Belluno), who finished in second place just one minute behind the winner, while Giulia Morbidelli (Marathon Club Città di Castello) settled into third place in 1:26:37.

AN INCREASINGLY GREEN EVENT – Going beyond sports, implementing small but meaningful actions to try to reverse a trend that is encaging our society and our world. This year, the Brunello Crossing has begun a journey towards becoming an event with zero waste and entirely green in the coming years. Recognizing an overproduction of clothing and t-shirts within the race packs of running events, in this 2024 edition, the SSD Montalcino Trail, supported by the main sponsor of the event, Craft, and endorsed by the Municipality of Montalcino, offered participants a choice. They could either collect the race pack t-shirt or donate the equivalent amount of money through the organizing committee to the municipal administration of Montalcino to carry out a project for planting and embellishing Viale Strozzi. “We strongly believe – emphasizes SSD Montalcino Trail President Alessio Strada – that this green initiative is a right and necessary choice. This first initiative has been successful, as more than 20% of participants opted out of the t-shirt to contribute to the cause.”

“We immediately supported the Brunello Crossing in these actions because we believe that each of us has a duty, by reducing plastic usage and promoting recycling, to take these small steps to try to alleviate the situation,” added Alessio Ranallo, Marketing Director of Craft Italia.

CRAFT BRANDED SATURDAY – On the eve of the main event, enthusiasts and curious onlookers had the opportunity to attend two in-depth sessions on the world of trail running at the Teatro degli Astrusi in Montalcino: life stories, running as an inspiration to drastically change paths, and as a tool to tackle increasingly intriguing challenges. These were some of the main themes discussed, in the presence of Montalcino Mayor Silvio Franceschelli. The event began with the presentation of the book “Running and Consciousness: an Encounter in the Heart”, authored by Roberto Riccio, who shared his symbiotic relationship with running with the audience. Subsequently, Luca and Paolo, founders of the Sterrato Gang community, hosted a fun and interesting live podcast dedicated to Craft. They officially launched the Craft Running Tour, an initiative aimed at revealing the secrets of Craft’s shoe models, allowing runners to test them, and introducing the athletes who have embraced the Swedish brand. The project, which featured the quartet of long-distance specialists Gianluca Galeati- Elisabetta Lastri-Antonio Di Manno-Marco Menegardi on stage in Montalcino, accompanied by Craft Italia Marketing Director Alessio Ranallo, will continue in the coming months, involving seven locations and as many running events.