THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RACE IN THE WORLD

Stefano with his wife Paola

This attitude could not have been a major spur for me. So I always inquired from Sergio, who in our running group had had similar experiences several times, receiving in certain reply Roberta Monari one of the stars not only female of Pasta Granarolo. Roberta Monari did not know her personally but I knew very well who she was. My hope was to meet her early in a Sunday race as we were already in early February and the day of the race was fast approaching. Better opportunity could not happen soon. After a few days, in fact, fortunately for me and for her, I found Roberta in my office a little sulky and after I introduced myself I solved her problem by giving her back her magnificent smile and me the opportunity to ask her for useful advice on 100 kilometers. I was particularly impressed by his only response “Stefano” said to me extremely calmly “it’s just a head problem“. To which I answered stunned “Robi in my opinion is a problem of legs!“. “No” Roberta answered again “Stefano is just a head problem“. I thought about those words a lot during my workouts. On Sunday 13 May I participate in the marathon of Lovoleto, before the race, at the Group tent, I see Roberta and I take this opportunity to greet her and ask her for useful suggestions. Roberta, however, said the same words to me “Stefano for the 100 is just a head problem“. So taking a little courage I tell him “Robi, since the time limit is 20 hours and immediately afterwards there will be the awards, you will see that I will reach the finish line just in time to see you rewarded !!“. A little embarrassed, she brightened her face with a sweet smile. Here we are finally on Saturday 26 May the day of departure of the Passatore. The itinerary of this mythical race connects two of the most beautiful squares in Italy – that of the Signoria of Florence, a city of art known all over the world and that of the Popolo of Faenza, a city of ceramics. The Florentine square welcomes the multitude of participants. The departure is at the beginning of Via dei Calzaiuoli where the most elegant shops in Florence are located, with my wife Paola I try in vain for Roberta in the crowd.

Stefano on arrival with the “sweaty” medal

At 15.00 o’clock the expected shot from the start of the race and my adventure, I have twenty hours until 11 am tomorrow to arrive in Romagna and precisely in Piazza del Popolo in Faenza, my primary goal. I have looked at the path many times and now I know it by heart. On the sidewalks, two wings of the crowd cheer on the competitors, after a few minutes, the center of Florence is far away, you start to climb up to Fiesole, a snake of Italian and foreign runners trudging up the slope. After passing Saletta, Vetta le Croci, Polcanto and Faltona, arrival at the first intermediate goal of the race, Borgo San Lorenzo after about five hours, Paola is there waiting for me, I make the first change of clothes to face the evening and the cold that I will go to the glue pass. I begin to climb the Passo, it is now dark, thank goodness I have the cat’s eyes with me (three bulbs attached to the visor of the hat I am wearing) that make an incredible light and a flashlight that I need to not be run over from behind. The cold makes itself felt, the climb seems endless, finally I see in front of me the second intermediate milestone that of the fifty kilometers the Passo della Colla, I also see Paola who was starting to be worried because she didn’t see me coming, it’s 11.30 pm it is now eight and a half hours that I am in the middle of the road. As I eat something at the refueling on the pass I think to myself “damn I’m tired and I’m only halfway through the race!?!” After eating and drinking and telling Paola to wait for me at the last intermediate goal of Marradi, I set off alone in the dark. I start a descent that will take me to pass through deserted countries given the late hour like Casaglia, Crespino and Fantino Station. Here I am finally in Marradi, my clock says 2:43, almost twelve hours from the departure from Piazza Signoria in Florence.

Stefano with Roberta Monari

Paola waits for me past the finish line, I am cold, my feet full of blisters and aching legs, in one word they are in pieces. Paola seeing me in such conditions invites me to get in the car but I refuse telling him that if I get in the car my race would end at that moment. Then she makes me sit on an opening camping chair lent by my mother in Florence. My mom as they say in Florence, like all mothers in the world always thinks of her “baby” and before leaving for the Passatore she said to me “Take this chair since you have to walk 100 kilometers, at least when you are tired then you take a nap.” Tiredness seemed to have the upper hand, I try to resume the race but as I get up from the chair I begin to see the white dots, I am in moments of panic, I sit back and ask Paola for an energy carbohydrate supplement that I send down slowly in the hope of recovering . Paola worried invites me to finish the race at that moment. After about ten minutes of sitting I try to start again but as I stand I struggle to move my legs, Paola increasingly worried insists on my withdrawal. “Wait” I say “one more moment” and in saying this I move away from both her and the car trying to see if I can at least walk decently. After a few minutes the cell phone I had with me to keep in touch with Paola rang “But where are you?” Paola asks me not seeing me go back to the car. As I answer my cell phone, I pass a road sign with the indication Faenza, at that time aching, tired, practically in pieces, I think of Roberta’s words “Stefano is just a head problem“. “Where are you ?” Paola repeats more and more worried, “Come on” I answer. “But let’s go where?” Paola continues “Let’s go to Faenza to Faenza” I answer more and more convinced. After about two kilometers I find in front of me two guys from Milan one of them is folded in two and says to his friend “I can’t take it anymore, my foot hurts,” then passing them close I say “Blessed are you who makes you my foot hurts, both of me hurt!?! ”. A contagious laugh eases the tension and fatigue and after a while the three of us find ourselves encouraging each other to get to Faenza. The company will melt only a few kilometers from the finish, aware of having reached the goal. It is daytime I am in Fognano the scoreboard indicates 85 kilometers, the view is beautiful, I run away laughing laughing at Paola who reading the map of the route before the departure said “Do you also pass by a town called Fognano? !!“, reading the final o as c “go and see that now instead of going to Romagna I’m going to end up in France” I answered puzzled.

Stefano with Paola on arrival in Piazza del Popolo in Faenza

In Fognano I decide to change for the last time, I have the shorts and the tank top of the Pasta Granarolo again, now they are just missing !!! ?? fifteen kilometers are alone with my thoughts and the stopwatch, I have to stay inside twenty hours to be classified and for the moment I am inside. Kilometer after kilometer, I first pass Brisighella and then Errano where I arrive at 9.30. There are only five kilometers left and I have a margin of an hour and a half to get to Piazza del Popolo in Faenza, I think to myself “go Stefano it’s done now“. I enter Faenza, I enjoy the last meters of this legendary feat before entering the square, Paola comes to meet me and has tears in her eyes, I too am moved and together we enter the square, the people present applaud me, Paola slips away letting me enjoy the arrival. The finish line with written Finish 100 Km del Passatore 2007 is in front of me, while I start to climb the catwalk that leads to the end of my effort I feel called, I turn around and I see Giuseppe Grimaudo of my team who compliments me, I greet him and with raised arms I pass the finish line ending my challenge but above all managing to achieve the goal of reaching within the maximum time of twenty hours, in fact my time trial is 19 hours 37 minutes and 3 seconds. After the finish line, a girl puts the golden medal of the passer around my neck, I kiss her and I put her around Paola’s neck, who in the meantime had joined me. After a few meters I see a sign that says “To play basketball, football, volleyball, water polo, rugby, tennis you need a ball, to run the Passatore it takes at least two“. I smile and I think it’s true, for the passer it takes at least two balls. I also think that without Paola and Roberta’s advice I would never have arrived in Faenza. The surprises are not over, however, after having collected the participation diploma and the three bottles of Passatore wine, Roberta and Giuseppe, the other two guys from Pasta Granarolo who had participated in the race, join me. Roberta Radiant tells me that she finished second in the women’s rankings in just under 9 hours and 23rd overall, while Giuseppe finished 42nd overall in just over 9 and a half hours. As I predicted, I had arrived just before Roberta’s award ceremony, which I had the opportunity to photograph while being rewarded smiling on stage, by the authorities present. Even today, while I look at the golden medal of the Passatore placed on display in my shop window, I think back to that endeavor, to the beautiful and ugly moments but above all to Roberta’s words “Stefano is only a problem of the head“. Robi you were right and thanks to you and my wife Paola, I too can now say “I WAS THERE“.

Stefano Marino Fransoni

Related story – I MADE THE 100KM OF THE PASSER (BY CAR) by Paola Fortini