Michele Graglia wins the Moab240

The former ultra-model now a successful ultra-modeler and La Sportiva team athlete triumphs in the United States at the iconic Moab240, running non-stop for over 61 hours.

Michele Graglia, he amazed us again. The former Ligurian model, now based in the United States and famous for its challenges in extreme conditions over long distances, has reached another incredible milestone.
After the conquests in the ice of the Yukon and in the torrid Death Valley, where he won the famous Bad Water Ultra Marathon in 2017, and after the record-breaking crossings of the Atacama (Chile, 2018) and Gobi (Mongolia, 2019) deserts, on Sunday 11 October 2020, Michele arrived in the town of Moab with his arms raised. A former mining settlement, now a tourist hub nestled among the canyons of the desert lands of southern Utah (USA), the logistical and organizational headquarters of the gruelling Moab 240 miles, a race that, translated into kilometres, reaches 390 with almost 9 thousand meters of elevation gain.

But let’s take a step back, to Friday 9th October early in the morning, with the sun still shining on the wide canyon where the beautiful town that hosts the start and finish of this race rises. As per national directives in time for Covid 19, the departures are staggered, with an obligation to wear the mask for at least one mile, and then leave everyone free to “enjoy” the boundless wonder of the canyons of Utah: an arid and rocky heat during the day and icy at night, able to give additional difficulty and suffering to all the 200 participants who each year try their hand at the feat. This race, still little known outside the United States, has undoubtedly in its length its main characteristic, which together with the big temperature changes and the trampling, a bit earthy and a bit gravelly, contributes to make it one of the toughest competitions in the country. Then there is the altimetry, a jagged profile that from the 1227 metres of the start, goes up and down in a succession of changes of direction that leave little room for the flat line that we are perhaps used to associate with these places. The climbs lead in a couple of occasions to touch even the 3000 metres of altitude, and then descend again towards the dynamic Moab, a real point of reference for lovers of outdoor activities.

Michele starts strong, knowing that he is at his first race on such a length and knowing that he hasn’t had time to prepare himself at his best, but full of his experience in the deserts and beyond. He knows that the most important muscle in these situations is the brain.
Immediately tailed by David Goggins, former Navy SEAL and now an excellent ultra runner and mentally-loved runner, Michele keeps a high pace, and around 100 miles even the eclectic American coach, given to win at the start, is forced to take a step back leaving the ambassador La Sportiva to his long solo ride that has seen him take miles on miles both on his direct opponent and on all the other athletes in the race.
The choice to never sleep, a slippery descent between sharp rocks, sore legs and the conditions for an inflammation of the Achilles tendon made the last 40 miles an unexpected pain. Abandoned the idea of breaking the 60 hour record, after a third day that was particularly treacherous and terribly hard, Michele Graglia arrived in Moab by night, crossing the finish line victoriously with his arms outstretched to the sky and the same splendid smile that marked all his exploits. Total time: 61h43’15 ” of uninterrupted running, just short of Courtney Dauwalter‘s 57:55:13, the race record still stands at 57:55:13. Conquest that gave Michele the title of the only athlete to have won both the BadWater135 and the Moab240.