The Vertical Race kicks off the ASICS Malcesine Baldo Trail weekend; an event that, overall, has drawn 700 athletes from 10 different nations to the mountains bordering Veneto and Trentino.

On the trails of Upper Garda, Sergio Bonaldi repeats his success from last year with a time of 39:43. In the women’s field, Anna Sbalchiero takes the win. Tomorrow marks the start of the 50km “ultra” and the 24km “medium” races.

The long ASICS Malcesine Baldo Trail weekend opened with the first event dedicated to uphill specialists. The Vertical, which started at 2:30 PM just a few minutes from the Monte Baldo cable car middle station, featured an elevation gain of 1,000 meters with the finish line at an altitude of 1,790 meters on Monte Baldo.

Immediately after the start, Bonaldi—winner of the first edition with a time of 35:41—stayed in the lead group with Matteo Lora and Filippo Sbalchiero. However, it was only after the halfway point that the versatile athlete from Bergamo gained about 30 seconds, allowing him to cross the finish line alone with a time of 39:43. Matteo Lora finished in second place, 37 seconds behind, while Filippo Sbalchiero took third with a time of 41:05. Austria’s Klaus Kreidl and Denny Ghidotti finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In the women’s race, Anna Sbalchiero claimed victory, stopping the clock at 54:09. Claudia Paolazzi finished in second place, trailing the winner by just 16 seconds. The podium was completed by Barbara Testa with a time of 57:16. Raffaella Canino and Nicole Gschnell finished in fourth and fifth place.

Saturday morning features the 50km “ultra” (3,355m D+) starting at 7:30 AM. Last year, Luca Carrara (6:00:08) and Marta Poretti (7:30:15) were victorious here.

Also on Saturday, at 8:30 AM, the 24km “medium” (1,994m D+) will set off. Last year, the race was dominated by Austria’s Stephanie Kröll (3:30:35) and Bergamo’s Sergio Bonaldi (2:24:31).

Sunday morning at 10:00 AM brings the grand finale with the 16km “short” (1,185m D+), winding through the streets of Malcesine. In the inaugural edition, this race was won by Armin Larch (1:35:51) and Alessia Scaini (1:40:16).