Between trail runs and skyruns, the weekend of May 21 and 22 will also be a great one filled with fun and mountain races all over Italy, especially in the central and northern regions. Among the weekend’s events, we’d like to highlight the Teolo Urban Trail—which has been sold out for a few days now—and two fascinating skyraces: the Esino Skyrace and the Sondalo Skyrace.
But if you decide to participate in a trail running race, always remember to check the mandatory gear you need to bring, and study the course before signing up, to make sure it’s suitable for your training level—with sections that are more or less exposed, rope sections, or other features that might prove too difficult to navigate… For example, if you suffer from vertigo, a trail with exposed sections wouldn’t be right for you; similarly, if you don’t have much experience running uphill, it would be “risky” to tackle the 4,000-meter elevation gain of the Raid Col Visentin… But these are simply “common sense” recommendations…

Let’s start with Saturday, the 21st. In Vittorio Veneto, in the province of Treviso, the Raid Col Visentin will feature two courses: a 37k course with 2,500 meters of elevation gain and a 34k course with a whopping 4,000 meters of elevation gain, in Bagnoli della Rosandra, in Trieste, the Jama Run Trail will feature a 13k course with 850 meters of elevation gain; in the province of Parma, in Borgo Val di Taro, the 27-kilometer Quadrifoglio Trail (1,450 meters of elevation gain) will be accompanied by a scenic 13-kilometer Dog Endurance Trail with 700 meters of elevation gain; while in Tuscany, races will take place in both Murlo, Siena—where the Murlo Trail Terra Etrusca will take place, featuring a 30k course with 1,209m of elevation gain and a 15k course with 653m of elevation gain—and in Montopoli Val d’Arno, Pisa, where the Trofeo Agriturismo Montalto will feature three courses—10k, 5k, and 2k—with extremely modest elevation gains.

On Sunday, the 22nd, most of the trail running races will take place: It starts with the Trail del Borbotto in Castagneto d’Andrea, Florence, featuring two courses—35k and 18k—with significant elevation gains ranging from 2,250m to 1,250m, and continues with the Trail della Valmeduna, Pordenone, a 27k race with 1,600m of elevation gain; the Sondalo Skyrace in Sondrio, a 23k race with a substantial 1,600 meters of elevation gain; the Trail RensendiArenzano in Genoa, featuring a 23k course and a 10k course;the Esino Skyrace, featuring a 22k SkyRun with 1,760m of elevation gain and a 14k Trail with 850m of elevation gain, and the “Un Gir per Bursan” Trail in Reggio Emilia, a 21k race with 700 meters of elevation gain.

But there will also be numerous races under 20 kilometers, such asthe May Urban Trail in Feriole di Teolo—which has been sold out for about ten days—and which will take place within the Euganean Hills Regional Park, covering 19 kilometers with 800 meters of elevation gain, the Trail dei Monti Picentini in Montoro, Avellino—18 km with 1,300 meters of elevation gain—the Galero Trail in Nasino, Savona—also 18 km, but with 1,300 meters of elevation gain—andthe Etrurian Trail in Cerveteri, Rome, 18 km with 1,000 meters of elevation gain, the Velenosa in Bolzano Bellunese, a picturesque 14k with 1,000m of elevation gain on mixed terrain; the Marcia dei Tori in Ospitale Fanano, Modena, 13k with 740m of elevation gain; and the Jack Canali Trophy in Albavilla, Como—a 6.7k mini-trail with a significant 882 meters of elevation gain.