South Tyrolean Armin Larch and Piedmontese Alessia Scaini are the winners of the “short” race (16km 1185m D+), which effectively brought the curtain down on the first edition of the Asics Malcesine Baldo Trail. 660 athletes from various nations, 4 races over different distances, and a wonderful synergy between regions, municipalities, and local associations ensured the success of this beautiful event set on the trails of Mount Baldo, also known as the “Botanical Garden of Europe.”

Looking at the standings for today’s race, South Tyrolean Larch showed no mercy to his rivals. Setting off at a blistering pace, he led the entire race solo, crossing the finish line at the Paina lakeside in 1:23:36. Second place went to Daniel Vinco in 1:35:51, while Diego Bazzoli took third. Strong performances also came from Luca Torresani in 4th and Luca Vivaldi in 5th.

In the women’s category, Italian mountain running star Alessia Scaini made it a double. Following her success in Friday’s inaugural vertical race, the athlete from Susa, Piedmont, triumphed in 1:40:16. Behind her, the talented Arianna Dentis secured an excellent second place in 1:47:26. A podium finish also went to Giulia Zaltron, who came in 3rd in 1:54:17.

With the dust settled, it’s already time for the VRM TEAM Asd crew to look at the results and set new goals: «Knowing that a first edition always has plenty of room for improvement, we are satisfied. There’s no denying it – stated the head of the organizing committee, Claudio Arduini -. The athletes gave us encouraging feedback, overlooking some of our shortcomings, but above all confirming our belief that this location and this format have great potential.»

Going into the details, Arduini continued: «The weather certainly lent a hand, giving every single competitor images and emotions they won’t soon forget. However, the success of the event is due to the synergistic effort of everyone: public bodies, companies that believed in us, and especially the volunteers, the true heartbeat of the event. The local associations all stood by our side and were magnificent.» As for the future? First and foremost, the date will change: «We would like to try moving the event forward by two weeks to ensure better hotel availability and try to grow the numbers. The date is set for May 5 to 7… keep yourselves free.»