A tour of Italy, discovering the most scenic trail running races on the last weekend of May. Always with a focus on safety!

The last weekend in May is dedicated to mountain races, trail runs, skyruns, and vertical races: among the weekend’s most exciting events are the Brumano Downhill and the Trentapassi Vertical in Marone, as well as the two “Trail dell’Orsa” races in Brentino, the “Trail del Salame” in Parma, and the “Trail del Viandante” in Bellano.
Among this weekend’s races, there are also many short or medium-short courses, particularly suitable for those less experienced in mountain running. Because, as Ernesto Ciravegna—a trail runner, doctor, and president of the BergTeam in Bergeggi, Savona—points out, “if you want to run in the mountains, especially over many kilometers and tackling elevation gains of a few thousand meters, you need to be an excellent mountaineer even before you can be a good runner!”
So, always be careful—even more so before the race than during it—when choosing one… take it with a grain of salt…and remember that completing a 50k with 3,000 meters of elevation gain… first, isn’t for everyone… second, won’t turn you into heroes—except in your own eyes. So, since it’s ultimately just an experience between you and yourselves… talk it over before you do something foolish!

But let’s move on to the most interesting races on May 28 and 29, 2016:

SATURDAY, MAY 28
Monte Soglio Trail , Forno Canavese, Turin: 35k, D+ 2,000m; 16k, D+ 900m.
Valetudo Downhill Run, Brumano, Bergamo: 4.5 km, 1,000 m elevation gain.
Kids Trail, Riolo Terme, Ravenna: 1.5 km, 50 m elevation gain.

Sunday, May 29
Trail del Salame , San Michele Tiorre, Parma: 36k, D+ 1,900m; 14k, D+ 350m.
Ursa Major Trail, Brentino, Verona: 30k, 2,100m elevation gain.
Ursa Minor Trail, Brentino, Verona: 15k, 1,000m elevation gain.
Miranda Trail, Miranda, Trapani: 21k, 1,000m elevation gain; 10k, 400m elevation gain.
Running in Milano Marittima, Ravenna: 21k, 10.7k, 6.4k.
Pizzuta Trail, Piana degli Albanesi, Palermo: 20k, 1,130m elevation gain.
Trail del Viandante, Bellano, Lecco: 20k, 940m elevation gain; 7k, 100m elevation gain.
Forcolesi Hills Hike, Pisa: 20k, 400m elevation gain; 17k, 350m elevation gain; 12k, 300m elevation gain; 6k, 150m elevation gain.
Roero Woods Trail, Bandito di Bra, Cuneo: 20k.
Tour of Monte Zovo, Pertica Bassa, Brescia: 18.5 km, 1,200 m elevation gain.
On the Edge of Corlo, Arsié, Belluno: 18k, 846m elevation gain; 10.7k, 327m elevation gain.
Partisan Trails, Mattie, Turin: 17k, 1,000m elevation gain.
Trail degli Dei, Agerola, Naples: 16k, 1,770m elevation gain.
Trentapassi Skyrace, Marone, Brescia: 16k, 1,280m elevation gain.
Trentapassi Vertical, Marone, Brescia: 3.5 km, 1,000 m elevation gain.
Girolungo dei Boschi, Sezzadio, Alessandria: 16k.
Curnis Memorial, Bienca di Chiaverano, Turin: 12.5k.
Correre Pollino Trophy, Chiaromonte, Potenza: 12k, 500m elevation gain.