Prologue: On Sunday jan. 29th the B.K., Sir theyogi, Sir Giorgio and his humble servant Massimo left the Black Knight Kingdom in early morning to go to Castel S.Elia for a tough race 22.550 km (14 mi) long: the Maratonina dei 3 Comuni. It is part of the mountain circuit race. The path, never flat and with only downhill and uphill, is called the devil’s buttocks as you can see here:
We ran through 3 medieval little towns: Castel S.Elia, Civitacastellana and Nepi; every town was built on a hill. The battle was bloody and the siege was long. As usual we didn’t take prisoners. Here are the pictures of Civitacastellana before and after our raid (the photos are real and both the places are in Civitacastellana):
No previous goals, only to finish this difficult long distance run as training for the most important half-marathon of Italy: the Roma-Ostia at the end of february.
Stats: 22.550 km (14 mi) in 1:55:33 at the pace of 5’07”/km (8’14”/mi); 1210/2121 overall and 97/215 age group. The loot was interesting: a sport bag, olive oil and an artistic plate.
Wow is that gorgeous! Contests on the race.
ReplyDeleteI think you need an American writer to come document these races, don't you?
; )
Wow! such scenic places you get to race. I always enjoy seeing where you run and the loot bags are always interesting! What a great time on such a crazy hilly course!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great race!!! Did you get olive oil this time, instead of wine as your prize??
ReplyDelete"Devil's buttocks" seems an apt and evocative name...
ReplyDeleteYour races always sound so interesting!
ReplyDeletemyfirst5k.wordpress.com I am currently injured :(
DeleteBeautiful race! I love the name of the hills. So how does one get into the Black Army?
ReplyDeleteWow, what beautiful scenery. Heehee, love the name "devil's buttocks"...! :)
ReplyDeletevisto che m'hai rubato la definizione, io ti rubo l'immagine e siamo pari..... ;D
ReplyDeleteOy. Devil's buttocks for sure but look at your blazing time! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI need to be in the black army. I can be the Lady of seafaring vessels since Italy is down one very naughty ship captain.
hahaha, the devil's ass, oops, I meant buttocks. Sorry. You can enter me in as Lord of Dillsburg, but, I might change occupations. Is heresy forbidden? Just thought I would ask. Very nice race, where there any survivors? Nice pacing too. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI'm certain if I ever came to Italy to "race", I'd be walking mostly so that I could enjoy that gorgeous scenery! Either that or I'd have to get my scenery fix well in advance before the race! Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHahah, funny post-race stash...you'd never find olive oil here!
Nice race there, you are getting stronger as you overcome that nagging injury! Keep up the great work!!!
Neanche dopo averla corsa 17 volte avevo mai notato le chiappe del diavolo
ReplyDeleteI am starting to think there is NO flat race course in all of Italy!! :) The nick name for the race is funny! Olive oil as swag? That is interesting. I would take it. And perhaps some shots of balsamic vinegar at the finish line?
ReplyDeleteUnbelievably pretty. I would even do hills to run there! Jealous.
ReplyDeleteWow, look at you speedy! Ouch, those hills look awful (in the profile) and beautiful (in your pictures). I'd be glad to get a big bottle of olive oil...that stuff's expensive!! :)
ReplyDeleteOoh, I want to do that race and get olive oil as my reward! And I'm laughing a bit at the "devil's buttocks" profile.
ReplyDeleteI am honored to be a foot soldier in the Black Knight army.
How could you not love a mountain race through a devil's butt. Oh my.
ReplyDeleteOh, that course looks evil, but the Black Knight conquered it! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI am in the army! nevder thought I would say that!!!
ReplyDeletethis is a difficult course...wow!
Bravo to you mon ami!
you should enter my giveaway..open to everyone...
you already got an entry...given to you by MArcia!!!
Such a privilege to run in such a beautiful area. Fantastic result too, congratulations.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for the castle, but we were obliged to destroy it :) The enemies were so insolent :)
ReplyDeleteNice race report Stefano, you made me laugh with the humble servant :) Anyway, that race was very tough!
The organization was really good: I have never had warm tea during a race in Winter. We had it three times: two refreshment points and the post-race brunch. Excellent!
I'm running on the snow at 6:15 pm! On the races front, I agree with Tuscania's 10 km race and I hope your knee is going better.
Have a nice weekend!
Running a course rich in history is amazing. Great job with the fast pace on a demanding course. You are looking stronger each day without injury.
ReplyDeletePretty scenery but a race on a path called the Devil's Buttocks can only be a tough one. Well done.
ReplyDeleteOlive oil! I'll never cease to be amazed my the swag you get at races in Italy.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a successful battle and looting. 5:07 ks is a great pace running over those buttocks. Excellent result!
ReplyDeleteThat is a crazy elevation map! Those were the kinds of hills that I ran in Hawaii- makes for a difficult race. Congrats on your fast pace. Pictures are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a fantastic place to run! Awesome! Congrats on a great run!Love the swag bag!
ReplyDeleteI could do with a run through some medieval towns and some olive oil in the race bag. Great run as well!
ReplyDeleteHa! The Devil's Buttocks. That's really funny. And great job on the pace and finish. Only in Italy would they give out olive oil at a race. I love it.
ReplyDeleteWell done Stefano! That looks like a tough but very nice race. I hope one day I can run a race in Italy. In high school one of my subjects was Latin and our teacher always told us about Italy. I wonder what role I can fill for the Black Knight's army here on the Southern tip of Africa?
ReplyDelete