by In Trieste
Corsa della Bora runs through Trieste this Sunday with as much spirit and grit as ever with a spectacular finish line in Portopiccolo.
As with just about every organized sport, Covid-19 wiped out most of the 2021 running season. In spite of all this, Corsa della Bora will take place this Sunday, January 9th, here in Trieste. We asked race director and organizer Tommaso de Mottoni to answer some questions.
Tell us a little about the story of the race. Where does the name come from?
Tommaso: You know, organizing a race is like inviting people to share a meal at your table in your house – it’s like sharing a piece of your spirit with everyone. At least, that is true for those who organize races for passion and not for monetary reasons.
One winter morning while running in the woods of Trieste, I found the courage to do just that. A courage that stems from the words of Umberto Saba in his poetry about Trieste.
It is the “surly grace” of this “rascal, harsh and voracious, with blue eyes” with “hands too big to offer a flower” (Saba, “Trieste”) that made me desire to share the beauty of these places with people who, like myself, are in love with this sport. It is the passion for this incredibly beautiful land, full of energy and strength united in sport, that inspired me to organize this race.
What a beautiful metaphor!
And just like that, on January 6th, 2015 I decided to start Corsa della Bora, named after the strong wind that seems surly at first but is adored by Triestini as the epitome of our city’s spirit, along Trieste’s Sentiero 1.
Sentiero 1 springs from the Duomo of Muggia and goes all the way to Sistiana. This is during a time of the year when the rest of Italy is taking a break, but the energy of this place reaches its climax. We have revisited and revised the path many times throughout the years and added new distances and, thus, new challenges.
What types of races are there in 2022?
We have various distances this year, 8 races in all, which will enable participants to experience running on the Carso boulders between the sea and the mountains.
Wow!
The 18 km race (S1 Half) is the most popular, with its panoramic route along Carso’s riffs. Its ups and downs and incredible views of the sea from the vineyards along which the race passes will leave you speechless. Usually the last km of this race are run by the sea, but this year, due to security reasons, we had to let the last km pass by Grotta Azzura – a true spectacle! And this year a real surprise for the runners- the finish line in Portopiccolo.
Sounds amazing!
The 57 km is an race that lets you experience the mountains right by the sea. The beauty of Rosandra Valley, with its steep uphills and even steeper downhills that lead you to the sea are amazing. This race is very challenging for the first third of the route, and the last part of the race reconnects with the 21 km.
Is that the longest race this year?
The longest race this year is 80 km, but the boldest runners can transform it into a 96 km (restarting after the 18 km finish line) or 122 km (restarting after the 42 km finish line). Every other year we also offer the S1Ultra race – 164 km that goes across borders and celebrates the beauty of Trieste, Gorizia, and Slovenian Carso. The Ipertrail race will start from the beautiful Sella Nevea.
How are the races different this year?
We have worked long and hard to be able to guarantee the safety of our participants. The routes remain the same as last year, but this year the start and finish will be staggered – with runners departing in smaller groups every 10 minutes. And of course, the finish line in the beautiful Portopiccolo will add to the race’s charm.
Fantastic!
We have also explored ways we can still allow everyone to take part in the pre- and post-race celebrations. We will be streaming all of our races live, starting from Saturday night with the 80 km and finishing on Sunday night with the last participants crossing the finish line. We’ll have participants giving interviews, our staff will be connecting from different parts of the race – enabling everyone to take part in this beautiful event, even non-runners. It will definitely be a sight to see!
