Malcesine Baldo Trail day one. Italian mountain running international Alessia Scaini and versatile Bergamo-based athlete Sergio Bonaldi claimed victory in the opening ‘only up’ event. This afternoon, 72 athletes faced off on the 4.5km pure ascent (1,000m D+) leading from the cable car mid-station to the summit; the demanding course featured a spectacular ‘lake view’ finish. With a sold-out field and incredible weather, President Francesco Pisciotta’s VRM TEAM Asd kicked off this new organizational venture on the mountains bordering Veneto and Trentino in the best possible way.

The race, which also served as the sole regional Fidal championship trial, saw Sara Meneghel, Valentina Descovich, Maria Pia Chemello, Cristina Dal Santo, Francesco Lorenzi, Luciano Meneghel, and Silvano Rigoni secure the regional specialty titles.

Bonaldi crossed the finish line solo, clocking an excellent 35:41. This time allowed him to stay ahead of Armin Larch (35:52) and Luca Binelli (38:37). Francesco Lorenzi and Philipp Plunger also secured spots in the day’s top five.

In the women’s category, as predicted, the field trailed behind Italian international Alessia Scaini, who stopped the clock at 44:51. Joining her on the podium were Martina Falchetti (49:14) and Maria Pia Chemello (49:41).

With the first day of racing in the books, tomorrow makes way for the long-distance events. The trails connecting the towns of Malcesine, Brentonico, and Avio will host the two “ultra” 50km races (3,355m D+) starting at 7:30 AM, followed by the “medium” 24km race (1,994m D+) an hour later. The grand finale takes place Sunday morning at 10:00 AM with the “short” 16km race (1,185m D+).