Let’s check out next weekend’s mountain runs recommended by Oxyburn

Running on snow-covered trails is a truly fantastic experience, and Piancavallo—the resort in the Pordenone area that will host the inaugural edition of the Xtreme Days Winter Edition on Saturday, the 11th, as well as the first Xtreme Winter Trail that same weekend—will offer a truly enviable variety of trails. The inaugural edition of the Xtreme Winter Trail will be an event suitable for athletes looking to prepare for the competitive season, as well as for weekend runners and families with children, as there will be two routes of varying difficulty. The Xtreme Winter Trail is the race designed for the most trained and experienced runners, covering a distance of 15 km with an elevation gain of approximately 600 m, while the Xtreme Winter Half Trail—which will be offered in both competitive and non-competitive formats—will cover a distance of 9 km with an elevation gain of approximately 150 m.

Also on Saturday, March 11, in Langhirano, in the province of Parma, the fifth Nighttime Winter Trail for Pairs will take place, starting at 6:00 p.m. from Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi and featuring a 22k course with an elevation gain of 1,100 meters. Alongside the competitive trail race, the Spring Food and Wine Walk— an 8.5-kilometer route with a 250-meter elevation gain—will take place at 1:30 p.m. in front of City Hall.

On Saturday, March 11, 2017, the first edition of the Castle’s Trail will take place: the course will be 23k long with 1,530 meters of elevation gain and will follow trails through the municipalities of Verrès, Challand-Saint-Victor, and Montjovet. The route was designed entirely by Vittorio Varisellaz, Federico Tadiello, Alessandro Giovenzi, and Dennis Brunod. The route will offer stunning panoramic views of castles and natural beauty and will mark the opening of the Tour Trail VDA circuit.

Sunday, March 12, will mark the fifth annual Trail Casola Valsenio in the province of Ravenna, a competitive mountain running race covering a distance of 21k with an elevation gain of 1,100 meters, set to start at 9:30 a.m. from Case Olmatelli; Alongside it, there will be a Nordic walking race and a 9k walk.

In Rivergaro, in the province of Piacenza, Sunday the 12th will mark the second edition of the Trail Ballando, a competitive 30k mountain race with 1,250 meters of elevation gain that will start from Lungo Trebbia at 9:00 a.m.: In addition to the competitive race, there will be a 12k non-competitive race with an elevation gain of 400 meters.

There will be three courses for the Monti Cimini Eco-Marathon on Sunday, March 12, which will take place in Viterbo: in addition to the ultra, the 62k La China, the 32k “Il Nibbio,” and the 16k “La Posta,” Galbiate, in Brianza, will host the San Genesio Run, a 23k race with 716 meters of elevation gain and 726 meters of elevation loss.