Francesco Puppi e Cesare Maestri, Nike trail runners

By Denis Piccolo
Photo Alice Russolo
Powered by Nike

A physicist and an engineer. Francesco and Cesare are part of the Mountain Running Italian National Team and together flew to Patagonia where they won two silver medals. Having recently entered the ranks of the Nike athletes, they pursue their dreams through trails, fatigue and love for running
We asked them to tell us more about their emotions.

Tell me something about yourself. Your studies, your family, what you do apart from running.

Francesco Puppi
You can call me Supertramp. Just joking! Or maybe Fra. Or France, or @fra_puppinho. Anyway, I was born in 1992, on the other branch of Lake Como. Human, athlete, physicist. I am a physicist in the most classic sense of the term, I studied to understand and interpret nature, which is very interesting and written in a mathematical language: simple ideas but of huge importance that I try to teach to my high school students. I am an athlete, running has always been the essence of my life and being an athlete means trying every day to improve and to find a balance, taking care of my body, being free, living with a very intimate and sensitive friend, fatigue. I am human because I have two wonderful sisters and a brother, I live with my girlfriend, Gloria, and I have relationships that cross any border. These three aspects are inseparable and make me what I am.

Cesare Maestri
I’m a simple person, an engineer, an athlete. In everything I do, I try to do my best and constantly get myself into the game, facing challenging goals. I live in Borgo Lares, in Trentino, a small mountain village, although I spend the whole week in Trento for work. I recently turned 26 and in 2018 I graduated in energy engineering. I work with renewable energy and energy savings, I like to think that this is also in a certain way linked to my sport activity: pursuing a more sustainable future that respects the environment and our mountains. My family has given me the passion for the mountains and for sport, they have always supported me in everything and for this I will never thank them enough.

How, when and why did you become a runner?

Francesco Puppi
It’s very simple, as a child I used to play and run with other children, then at some point we started practicing athletics, always for fun, at the Guanzate field. I haven’t stopped since then.

Cesare Maestri
It all started about ten years ago when a special person saw some good qualities in me and convinced me to start running. He was my first coach and unfortunately he left us the following year because of a bad illness. Since that day I have never stopped and now I am a real runner. I like to run, on any terrain, depending on the time available, on the seasons and on where I am.

How is your typical day?

Francesco Puppi
That changes depending on the season, even if I would like to change more often, waking up and always doing something different! When I teach, I’m typically at school all morning. Sometimes, if necessary, I train before entering the classroom. I dedicate the afternoon to preparing lessons, correcting homework and carrying out the thousand activities that the school requires, then, usually around the evening, I train. There is not always much time and I try to manage it with the help of my girlfriend who is an athlete like me and has needs similar to mine. After dinner, with little energy left, I often write or read, then it’s time to sleep. It is very important to rest for someone who, like me, was born tired!

Cesare Maestri
My days are very intense, sometimes too much! I work all day and I struggle to find time to train: early in the morning, at lunch or in the evening depending on the season, sometimes even two sessions a day. Fortunately I can afford a bit of flexibility in my work schedule to organize everything with more tranquillity. I try to live every moment at the best, concentrating on running or working depending on what I’m doing, even though I often think about a work project while running or about my next training while working! The days always run away too quickly while the evening is the most relaxing time, I see my girlfriend, my friends or I watch some TV series.

Running is a discipline that requires a lot of effort but that gives back so many emotions. What are the biggest sacrifices you had to do and what are the most important satisfactions you have achieved?

Francesco Puppi
I don’t have to sacrifice anything to run. Unfortunately, I sometimes have to sacrifice running for other activities. Running is the happiest moment of my day and everything else revolves around it. Even if I can’t organize all my time according to running, my thoughts and energy is focused on it, and that’s where I put the maximum effort. The satisfaction lies in the improvement, in the cleanliness of the gesture, in the indescribable sensations felt, in the solitary, silent, primordial kilometers. The results are a just a consequence.

Cesare Maestri
For me running is a lifestyle, the efforts I put into it are many, but I don’t consider them big sacrifices because I do them willingly and I feel repaid by the emotions that running gives me back. Of course, sometimes waking up before 6 am to train is not so exciting, but once I get out I feel light and alive, it’s just me, free, with my feelings and my pace. Another thing is the emotions that certain races give me, the result is only the tip of the iceberg but it reminds me that everything hidden behind has been done well. To pursue my dreams I am willing to do anything. And if those dreams are shared by a group of fantastic athletes and friends, everything becomes easier.

Trail and road, tell me their differences from your point of view.

Francesco Puppi
On the trail side, the references are few and often subjective, what’s important is the balance between aerobic qualities, endurance and strength. On the road side the elastic components and the rhythm become fundamental. I love them and practice them both, my running motto is run on #anysurfaceavailable!

Cesare Maestri
The road imposes a high and constant rhythm, the automatic repetition of the same gesture, always in search of fluidity and efficiency in the action. I constantly keep track of the speed and the chronometer and I believe that road running is fundamental even for those who want to run fast in the mountains. On the trail the search for rhythm is linked to the interpretation of the terrain, the variables are many and the ability to move on technical routes comes into play. The off-road landscapes are often suggestive and the mix between running and nature is fantastic. I like both of them, but in the summer I spontaneously move to trail running!

Which shoe do you use for running on trail and which one for the road? What is your feeling with these shoes?

Francesco Puppi
I use the Nike Pegasus Trail on trails. In this time of the year, when the temperatures drop, I prefer its waterproof version in Gore-Tex that keeps your feet dry. The Pegasus Trail is comfortable and protective, although equally responsive: I consider it excellent for a door-to-trail on mixed terrain. On roads, my ally against low temperatures is the Nike Pegasus 36 Shield which guarantees the same fit as the Gore-Tex version.

Cesare Maestri
On trail I use a lot the Nike Pegasus Trail, it has a similar response of a road shoe and at the same time a good grip to deal with the more technical traits. If the conditions of the terrain gets worse the most suitable shoe is the Nike Pegasus Trail Gore-Tex that allows you a safe support even in the most slippery sections! On roads I love the Nike Pegasus 36 Shield, they have incredible responsiveness and cushioning and are perfect for my winter training.

What is the race that gave you the most emotions?

Francesco Puppi
The race I have in my heart is the Sierre-Zinal, the perfect competition, the meeting point of trail, sky, road and ultra running: 31km designed on the traverses of the legendary Val d’Annievers, in the Valais, in a crazy atmosphere that brings competition to the stars. I got on the podium of this competition once, in 2016, and it is the race I dream of winning since I began running in the mountains, his story tells it all.

Cesare Maestri
Difficult to choose. Perhaps it was the victory at Mount Washington, New Hampshire, last year. I started without great expectations and meter after meter I realized that I could get in first place at one of the most important mountain running races in the US. Knowing that I could be the first Italian and the first European to win there filled me with pride, the last kilometer was a continuous rush of adrenaline and emotions, I received exciting celebrations and a truly unique treatment.

You achieved a great result in your last race in Patagonia, can you tell us how it went?

Francesco Puppi
I knew I was feeling good, in the three months before the race my preparation had been excellent. I expected to be able to fight for the podium, even if the result in a world championship is never a given, because of technical level and difficulty. Patagonia was an inspiration, the perfect mirror of my mood, this was important for me. In the race I wanted to stand out immediately, on the first climb there were only the American Jim Walmsley and I. I was afraid to lose but I decided to risk it, I didn’t think we would run so fast! It was just something between Jim and I. We have gone beyond the limit that I could imagine. We met in the intensity of the competition. Our race lasted over three hours and it was exciting, extraordinary, very hard. I was happy, and even Jim was, we were genuinely happy with what we shared in the race. He won.

Cesare Maestri
It was a great result, I was pursuing this dream all season and in the race, when I realized that a great result could come, I was able to use all the energy that I had left to reach my goal. A competition like this fills you with emotions that you hardly forget, it gives meaning to all the passion you put into what you do. In the days before the race we had the chance to see the course and I tried to study how to manage the race in the best way possible, making the most from the parts that best suited my characteristics. Several times I imagined the various situations that could have occurred in the race, convinced that I would be able to face them better because the mind and the approach to competition on certain occasions count more than the legs. The only regret was the fall a kilometer from the finish  line when I was finally reaching the American Joseph Gray, but it is part of the game and this silver to me is like a gold medal!

You are part of the Italian National Team, a great satisfaction. What does it mean to you?

Francesco Puppi
I share a lot with the other athletes of the Mountain Running Italian Team. I see them  as models, examples to follow; special people capable of extraordinary challenges. Being on the National Team means above all running for a team, the Italian one, with a shirt that says “Italy”, that makes us all brothers. When you are in the race all this multiplies your energy, the spirit of brotherhood that you experience can’t be found in any other environment. The meaning we give to ourselves is each time different, it depends on how we face the race and on the particular story we have behind.

Cesare Maestri
The Mountain Running Italian Team is a group of fantastic people before being great athletes, training days with them away fly! The atmosphere that reigns in the team is simple and light, we work hard when training but there’s always time to have fun and we live every race with great serenity.
I think it’s one of the most beautiful environments I’ve ever lived and as athletes we try to carry on this spirit of sportsmanship and fairness in everyday life to transmit it even outside of our world.

How do you see yourself in the near future?

Francesco Puppi
My idea would be to combine my lifestyle with an activity related to running, in order for one occupation to be a mutual support for the other. For example, writing, telling and inspiring other people, which I already partly do, or creating a pro team of athletes in the mountain and trail running sector, which would perhaps be the first in the world. Assumptions exist, interests are moving. I would like to leave a mark and make a concrete contribution to the world of mountain running, especially for those who will come after me. The reality is that I have a thousand ideas and thoughts in mind, maybe my need for freedom will bring me closer to the outdoors, but I wouldn’t even mind going back to the world of physics, in the more distant future.

Cesare Maestri
I hope to see our sport, mountain running, grow in terms of visibility and prestige. The dream is to see it in a few years at the Olympic Games, because it is the most beautiful sport in the world!
On a personal level I am sure I still have room for improvement in sport and I would like to find the right compromise between sport and work in order to run a few years as a semi-pro or at least in a more relaxed way. I also want to continue my working  experience within my company and grow in a job that could give me great satisfaction in the future.

Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo Shield
A model that has particular reflective details and elements designed to fight the cold. The inner mesh and the easily adjustable straps wrap your foot in sock-like that gives you a breathable comfort. The channels on the outsole help to quickly shed water for a better traction even in the worst weather conditions. Furthermore the external material is waterproof and helps keep the foot dry thanks to the sealed seams for the best water protection . In the end, Nike ZoomX foam provides the ideal energy return.

Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36 Shield
This shoe created for trail running gets updated to conquer wet routes. A water-repellent upper combines with an outsole that helps create grip on wet surfaces, letting you run in confidence despite the weather. The material has a water-repellent finish to help you keep your feet dry also thanks to the sealed seams that keep water out. The traditional laces are super-easy to adjust so you can personalize your best enveloping fit. In the end the outsole design has grooves to quickly help shed water for optimal traction on every terrain.