Brooks Livigno Skymarathon: Fabiola Conti and Lorenzo Beltrami triumph at altitude
The Brooks Livigno Skymarathon turned out to be a real success, with Fabiola Conti and Lorenzo Beltrami taking victory in this epic competition.
Participants were able to tackle two breathtaking routes that traversed Little Tibet, ranging from flowering meadows to rocky ridges, from downtown to snow. All of this created a dream scenario that lived up to the expectations of Marco De Gasperi, organizer of the Brooks Livigno Skymarathon and Sky Trail, who certainly hoped for a special day, but nature exceeded all expectations by providing a spectacular setting along the entire route. Participants were able to enjoy the beauty of spring-flowering meadows and high snow-covered rocky ridges. This perfect stage helped convey the epic nature of the two extremely challenging races.
The competitions, of course, were not without technical complexities. In the Skymarathon, runners had to tackle four particularly challenging peaks: Mt. Motto (2700 m), Punta Cassana (3016 m), Pizzo Cassana, also known as Piz da Rin (3007 m) and Mt. delle Rezze (2858 m). The same goes for the Livigno Sky Trail, the shortened version of the competition, which offered strong emotions thanks to a completely revamped route and the new passage to Pizzo Cassana.
One of the most amazing things about this 2023 edition was the participation. The Brooks Livigno Skymarathon sold out with 370 participants, while the Sky Trail had over 200 athletes at the start. Overall, the event welcomed nearly 600 athletes from more than 20 different nations. It was a true festival of cultures and nationalities, demonstrating the international appeal of the event. Athletes from Norway, the United States, Japan and Australia gathered in Livigno for a weekend of challenge and promotion of sports culture.
In the men’s Skymarathon race, a battle immediately broke out among the top men, with Gianluca Ghiano, Sergio Bonaldi, Mattia Gianola and Lorenzo Beltrami vying for the lead from the very first kilometers. In the end, it was Beltrami, an athlete from the Scarpa Rock Experience team, who crossed the finish line first. Second place was Bonaldi, a former long-distance champion in cross-country skiing, followed by Mattia Gianola on the third step of the podium.
In the women’s competition, the race was also very close. For the first three quarters of the race, Fabiola Conti and Francesca Rusconi dominated and contended for victory from the start. In the end, it was Conti who prevailed with a determined lunge on the last climb, graduating herself champion. In third place was young Giulia Pol.
In the men’s Sky Trail category, victory went to Catalan Oller Jan Torrella, followed by Alessandro Rossi and the other Catalan Iu Net Puig. In the women’s competition, there was a very close race won by the youngest athlete in the field, Gabriela Lasalle Gratacos, who preceded the excellent Elisa Desco, who was able to make up ground on the uphill but then broke away again on the last downhill. The podium was completed by Chiara Lelli.
After the great success of participation, the next event for running enthusiasts is set for the Brooks Stralivigno 2023, scheduled for Saturday, July 22.
