Running /
Transvulcania Maratón
Quoting from the official page:
Embark on a swift-paced race along the renowned 46 km Chianti Marathon Trail route, winding through hills embraced by vineyards. With a cumulative elevation change of 1700 m+ through constant undulations, you'll relish astonishing vistas of the countryside near Siena. The ultimate ascent leads you back to the splendid medieval village of Radda in Chianti.
The promo video looks pretty nice:
and the profile doesn't look too bad:
Only after arriving at the place it turns out that those hills prove to be pretty steep.
Also, I was not prepared for the amount of mud waiting for me on the route, after the floods that hit the region soon before. But let's not get ahead of the facts.
D-2: Getting there
We stayed at the Agriturismo Podere la Cava, not too far from Radda in Chianti:
Rocco, as usual, got in love with a local girl (it comes easy for him):
D-1: Radda in Chianti
Before the race, picking up the bib at the village:
Here it is:
Checking out the finish line:
D-Day: The race
Waiting for the start:
Ankle-deep mud and puddles everywhere right from the start:
A little respite from all the mud, some roads are dry:
First feeding station - I'm more interested in all that meat hanging there, and the wine barrels, than in the food itself - though the cakes prove to be quite tasty:
Then on we go again, the views are amazing:
Next feeding station, in vino veritas - never before had I seen bread dipped in wine and sprinkled with sugar, it was delicious!
Getting close to the finish line:
And finally done!
Strava activity:
D+: Post-race tourist mode
After the race, we visited Siena:
and Pisa:
and finally Viareggio, as a special treat for Rocco (the beach, and the sea!):
