Last Sunday on the Bolognese Apennines, the fourth edition of the Bologna Marathon in Trail took place on a sunny day that offered all participants a spectacular scenery.

A unique nature running event in the trail running panorama, mainly due to the location hosting the start and finish: the Villaggio della Salute Più, nestled in the green valleys of Idice and Sillaro, in the territory of Monterenzio (BO).

The renewed routes thrilled runners from all over Italy, both for the natural features and beauty of the area, and for the technical variety of the tracks.

In the Ultra distance, 43 km with 1400 meters of positive elevation, Stefano Bertozzi (Asd Atl. Cesenatico) claimed victory with a time of 03:49, setting a new race record. He outperformed Marco Piccardi, last year's winner with 3h 54', while Paolo Fiacchi (Asd Zeno Runners) came in second at 03:51, and Ion Coban (Atl Corriferrara) took third place with 4h 11'. A new record was also set in the women's category by Francesca Soldan, who crossed the finish line in 4h 55', over 30 minutes ahead of Lorena Brusamento and Silvia Giulia Vercilli, who finished second and third respectively.

The 30 km and 1100 D+ distance records from last year were also broken, with Ilario Domenico Perilli reaching the finish line in 2h 34', closely followed by Matteo Domenicali and Nicola Cominetti. In the women's category, Galina Teaca (2h 57') finished over 32 minutes ahead of Valeria Bartolini and Claudia Prandi.

Finally, demonstrating the high level of the athletes, the entire men's podium for the 15 km and 550 D+ set new race records with Federico Benati winning in 1h 16', followed by Gianluca Mazzotta and Raffaele di Bari. Vanessa Ganci (1h 32'), Linda Abbondanza, and Elisabetta Mengato took the women's podium.

Beyond the competitive aspect, which certainly confirms the excellent work of the organizers on the course, Sunday the 19th was, for many, a "discovery" of a fascinating territory immersed in nature and a welcoming place like the Villaggio della Salute Più. Of the approximately 400 competitive athletes, plus nearly 200 non-competitive participants on 15 and 6 km routes, a significant percentage came from outside the region, with representatives from 15 foreign nations.

Despite the previous edition taking place only last September, the proposed format, offering routes suitable for everyone, confirmed a successful turnout.

Among the competitors this year was Davide Crescenzo (@crashots) from Team Bologna Sport Marathon, accompanied by Asics Front Runners Cosimo Bertotto (@cosimo_run) and Ingmar Cavagna (@ingmar_chinesis). Together, they "colored" this fourth edition during the race and at the finish, celebrating in full Imola GP style (just a few kilometers away!) to remind everyone that trail running is not only for professionals but also for amateurs and enthusiasts.

The music of Radio Bruno and the voice and energy of "la Bella Vero" enlivened the start and finish area, making this day dedicated to nature sports even more festive.

The success was undoubtedly due to the efficiency of the organizational team and the presence of nearly 60 volunteers, as well as the involvement of many trail and running professionals, including Total Training, friends from Run Tune Up, Polisportiva Porta Saragozza, and the Bologna Trail Team.

The trend for the Bologna Marathon in Trail is one of growth, both in terms of quality and participation, as is the entire Bologna trail scene, united in the Bologna Trail Series circuit.

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