Following his victory at the Latina Marathon in early December, Lazio native Carmine Buccilli also took the podium at the 17th edition of the Pisa Marathon, finishing first among the Italian runners. As always, he was wearing his trusty Oxyburn 1450s.

Talking about his victories and podium finishes has now become an almost weekly occurrence. In fact, it’s been only fifteen days since we talked about Carmine Buccilli and his victory at the Province of Latina – City of Sabaudia Marathon, complete with a race record: and now here we are again, talking about his third-place finish at the Pisa Marathon, one of the 42-kilometer races with the most elevation gain on the Italian running circuit. Carmine and Oxyburn, in particular, have become an unbeatable winning combination: with his now-inseparable 1450s, the runner from Atletica Casone Noceto has achieved excellent results, not least a seventeenth-place finish at the New York City Marathon.

Finishing third, just one second behind the runner-up, Kenyan John Mutai Kipkorir, who completed the race in 2h19’15”, and behind Youssef Sbaai, the Moroccan athlete who won the 17th edition of the Pisa Marathon, the runner from Lazio ran a solid race, even though at the finish line he was dissatisfied with both his placing and his time: “I was hoping for a better time: I had a strong split at the halfway point in 1h07’12”, but at the 24th kilometer, the top two picked up the pace and I was left on my own. From the 30th kilometer on, I just tried to make it to the finish line… clearly, I hadn’t yet recovered from the Latina Marathon, which I ran just two weeks earlier.”

This year’s Pisa Marathon was a high-level competition; at the starting line, 3,300 athletes set off on the 42-km and 21-km courses, including more than 500 foreign runners: The race was marked by nearly spring-like temperatures (the thermometer read nearly 14 degrees when the marathoners crossed the finish line), sunshine, and a varied course with a good turnout of spectators. The course for the two Pisa races was fast but treacherous, and was managed perfectly by one of Italy’s most experienced organizing teams.