Previews25 Aug 2018


Italian mountain race Stellina to celebrate its 30th anniversary

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Camilla Magliano at the Stellina (© organisers)

The Memorial Partigiani Stellina, a classic Italian mountain race in Susa, will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Sunday (26).

The first edition was held in 1989, when a group of friends, Adriano Aschieris, Mario Pisano and Don Gianpiero Piardi, united by their passion for mountain running, joined with the local club Atletica Susa and partnered with the Bolaffi family and Rome 1960 Olympic 200m champion Livio Berruti to organise the first mountain race recognised by the IAAF.

The locale exudes history, from the Roman period and the Arch of Augustus of Susa to the Second World War with the commemoration of the battle of the Grange Sevine where the local partisan forces defeated the German army.

To celebrate its 30th birthday, the Stellina will return to its original course, which saw numerous triumphs by New Zealand's Jonathan Wyatt, the 'King of Stellina' and now head of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA). FIDAL President Alfio Giomi will also be among the spectators.

Many champions are expected at the start, including the Dematteis twins Bernard and Martin, Francesco Puppi and Cesare Maestri -- in essence the entire Italian national mountain running squad from the 2018 European championships. Norwegian Johan Bugge, Kenyan Timothy Kimutai Kirui, Damiano Lenzi and Matteo Eydallin are also expected to compete.

For the first time the women's race will take place on the same course as the men's. The main protagonists announced are Italian climber Camilla Magliano, the marathon runner Emma Quaglia, Anais Sabris of France, Sarah McCormack of Ireland and the Briton Heidi Davies.

The course record was set in 2004 by Wyatt who covered the 14.4km and 1630m climb in 1:14:37.

Organisers for the IAAF

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