In Ponte di Legno, in the Brescia area, the top ultratrailer from Team Oxyburn took first place in the women’s division; in the men’s division, the winner was Nicola Bassi, her partner. Among her secret weapons are Oxyburn’s graduated compression socks…

Italy, France, Belgium, and Switzerland: these are the nationalities of the sixty-two participants in the third edition of La Grande Corsa Bianca, the winter trail race dubbed “Italy’s most extreme,” featuring a 160-km course with 6,000 meters of elevation gain, all at high altitude, to be completed on foot, on skis, or on fat bikes.

“Darn you,” Marta Poretti blurts out with a smile when I call her on the phone, “…in your last article, you made me out to be a heroine… the ‘Snow Queen’… So much so that I told myself that if I didn’t win La Grande Corsa Bianca, I’d make a total fool of myself!!!” Marta laughs; she didn’t expect to repeat the victory she’d already achieved last year on skis—and to significantly improve her total time as well… she didn’t… but we did.

“I was supposed to tackle it on the skis I’d bought—and hadn’t even tried yet—specifically for the race,” says Marta, a Team Oxyburn athlete and winner of the women’s division. “But the lack of snow, the biting cold, and the ice convinced me to run it on foot—and to top it off, I was wearing new shoes that a friend had rushed over to me at the last minute!”

“As for the race… I was chasing Nicola Bassi the whole time, trying to follow in his footsteps: it helped me pick up the pace and keep my spirits up… after all, I ran almost entirely on my own. Then at the aid stations, the volunteers would cheer me on, telling me I was catching up to him (laughs…)”.

A tough race, La Grande Corsa Bianca, one that requires the right gear: “Throughout the entire race, I wore Oxyburn technical gear,” explains Marta, who always pays meticulous attention to packing her race backpack, “from the 5025 Build long-sleeve jersey to the 5070 Hose ¾ tights… not to mention, of course, my trusty 1450 Trail Run graduated compression socks, which were fantastic in this race… by the end, my feet were warm, dry, and in perfect condition!”

Maybe, though, her butt wasn’t quite as “hot and dry” as that, since Marta tried to slide down a hill on her butt… but to no avail… The truth is that, no matter how she competes, Marta always gives it her all… and she may not be a heroine, but she certainly is a tremendous athlete.