330 kilometers and 24,000 meters of elevation gain along the High Routes of the Aosta Valley, amid the challenges of the world’s toughest trail

Marta had set out on a different kind of trip. But, as often happens in life, things don’t always go as they should. And it doesn’t matter that you’re a champion and that you left nothing to chance—from training to choosing your team—because there are trips like this, that start off badly and, if possible, get even worse. And this was one of those: Marta set out to be the star; Marta was the star… but arriving twenty hours later than her (realistic) expectations certainly couldn’t make her… happy. Bittersweet, at best.

We asked her to tell us about her “Tor”… and Marta began to speak. No further questions were needed… it was a monologue, the kind you need to “get it all off your chest,” to lift a weight off your shoulders… perhaps some of the weight of disappointment…

“I had everything I needed to do well… a great team that supported me throughout the race, and what I thought was good preparation. I’d been working with a nutritionist and a physical therapist, and I’d even improved my running technique… but unfortunately, it didn’t go as I’d hoped.” These were the words Marta Poretti used to sum up her “Tor” Marta Poretti, one of the top athletes at the starting line of the 2016 edition of the Tor des Géants, the 330-kilometer endurance trail race with a total elevation gain of 24,000 meters that took place from September 11 to 18 in the Aosta Valley.

“Right from the start, I had physical problems that prevented me from eating and drinking properly,” Marta explained. “I couldn’t eat or drink. But despite everything, I held on until about 50k from the finish… at that point, my mind started to waver, dragged down by my body. At the aid stations, they ‘held me back’ longer than usual, seeing that I was struggling: in hindsight, it was the right decision. When I came to my senses, I took off like a rocket… but it was too late. The night was tough, too, especially because, having run almost the entire way alone, there were a couple of times when I felt a bit “lost” in the dark… And well, I finished twenty hours later than I would have liked…”

“As for my muscles and feet, though,” Marta continued after a brief pause, “I have to say I felt great: as always, I used Oxyburn’s technical graduated-compression base layer—from the top to the shorts, which are excellent for the quadriceps—all the way down to the socks, which provide tremendous support for the calf muscles and prevent blisters, and my trusty buff.”

Marta’s experience was undoubtedly a unique one, but it left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. Of course, the “Tor” is the “Tor,” and the “Tor” isn’t for everyone… but she, having won La Grande Corsa Bianca three times, was hoping for a better result… like Pellegrini at the Rio Olympics, so to speak… So the disappointment is understandable, coupled with the knowledge that she was still able to finish a race that, despite her excellent preparation, proved difficult from the very start.

So congratulations to Marta for her tenacity and willpower, and see you very soon on the mountain trails…ù