Proving to yourself that you can run for hours, endure fatigue, and turn it into energy is one of the greatest confidence boosts that sports can provide. Not even this year—2020—will manage to make us feel defeated. It has heightened our awareness of just how important it is to live out our passions to the fullest, such as my passion for trail running. Through them, we become better people and, above all, we achieve goals that are no less important—even without competing.

During this unusual competitive season, I pinned my race number to my jersey only once, for a relay race—a format that was completely new to me. All this forced downtime has made me think back often to my first 100km race. It’s hard to describe the emotions I experienced from start to finish on a Balearic island: from the pride of being in the lead group to the slump at the 60th km, from managing such a tough challenge to the tears at the finish line.

Thanks to trail running, I’ve combinedmy love of running with my love of the woods and mountains, where I train daily to push the limits of my body and mind. When you’re pushing your legs for hours on end during training or a race, wearing clothing that helps alleviate fatigue is a huge help. I’ve always found Oxyburn’s technical base layers to be a great benefit for my muscles, both during activity and during recovery.

Every time I run, I feel transported into a state of indescribable joy and euphoria, though it’s also tinged with moments of pain, such as coming across nature that’s been defaced. That’s why, whenever I can, I carry a backpack to collect litter and trash I find along the trails. We are the best ambassadors for the beauty of our planet; we must also be the first to take care of it.

In 2021, I dream of returning to ultra-trail running, but even more than that, I hope to provide tangible help through running to my Piedmont valleys, which were severely hit by the flood. It’s an ambitious project that I hope to bring to fruition. Because we can all strive toward a goal without necessarily having to pin a race bib to our shirts.

by Vincenzo La Montagna