DISABLED

Exceptional members of the 2013 edition of the Passatore: discover them with us!

The InSuperAbles
Directly from Switzerland, a large group of athletes will participate in the 41st edition of the 100 km del Passatore trying to stay under the record time of 4 hours. Their names: Caverzasio Valerio, Chinelli Davide, Donghi Gian Paolo, Spena Luciano. “Getting back on track after a serious injury or serious illness is sometimes very difficult. Deciding to practice a sport even only at an amateur level is a sign of courage rebirth and not wanting to give up ” (www.insuperabili.ch).

Paolo Cecchetto, 7th place at the 2012 London Paralympics.
Several times handbike champion, he became the Italian specialty champion in 2012; he was also European champion in 2008, vice-world champion in 2011, as well as pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia 2012. This year he will be with us at the 100 km of the Passatore!
Roland Ruepp, specialist in cross-country skiing on all distances from 5 to 20 km, as well as biathlon. He has competed since the early 1990s and has already participated in 4 Paralympics: Lillahammer (1994), Nagano (1998), Salt Lake City (2002 – 5 and 10 km gold medal) and Athens (2004). Since 2005 he has been collecting gold medals in the Italian Time Trial and Online Handbike Championships. State:

“At this point, sport has assumed a great importance in my life, it gives me continuous stimuli and the way to have fun, opens the doors to my personal freedom and self-affirmation. Recently I started practicing in addition to cross-country skiing, purely winter, even that of the handbike that I practice in the summer. I conclude by saying that sport is above all the basis of my health and beyond the results achieved, I consider this the most important aspect. An aspect that applies to everyone, disabled and not ”
(http://www.medagliedoro.org/atleta/roland-ruepp)
This year he will try to break the record by staying under 4 hours.
Billi Flavio, Marradi’s councilor for sport, will participate for the 6th time in the 100. Good luck!
Pascoli Umberto, 7 arrivals and this year he will try again!
About the 100 km of the Passatore they say …
“[…] I didn’t think I would win this challenge, but I can confess that after 4 years of marathons, not offending the others, this is the most beautiful of all, all running in company, full of support; believe me I had forgotten that I had the rare disease called ataxia. […] sport is very good! ” Filocamo Stellario

“Thank you, I am with these two words just to thank you for the great race I was able to do, I enjoyed it so much, it was a great experience […] I would like to extend my thanks to all those people who with their presence, even at night, they made the splendid event possible, you were all very good. Best wishes and see you next year “, Ugo Menegatti

CHIARA PANDOLFI

The first blind woman to cross the finish line of the 100 Km del Passatore

Told by Valentina Maltagliati (U.S. Nave Firenze)

“Interviewing Chiara? A child’s play … just wait for her to run, for she drained several beers with her ship mates and for her super friend Ilaria to be there. Chiara is a tough guy, it’s not easy to get information about herself. She never misses an opportunity to give value to anyone who runs with her and her “team” of which I am proudly a member. Chiara is 33 years old and arrives in Florence from Bergamo where she was born. She works as a physiotherapist and has not seen since she was about 12 years old. With her eyes. With her heart, with her skilful hands, and with all the other senses Chiara is obviously far more gifted than all of us, in fact she is always the first to make jokes like: “perhaps those of the Passatore could not give me the prize because they didn’t see me! “Of this 100km which for Italy represents a historic passage because precisely the first blind woman completes it and with absolutely adverse weather conditions she says:” at least I have removed my fear of the rain! “and then try to immediately bring back the attention and praise to those who, like Ilaria, Massimo, Nino, Paola, Francesco and Monia with her” trumpet “escorted her to Faenza. “Worth but write about them!” he keeps telling me laughing in front of the pizza and some more beer; “Or ask Ilaria, she writes better than me”. And so I ask Ilaria, an absolutely expert ultra marathon runner, a first-class pace maker, who supported Chiara in training and for the entire journey of the Passatore “Chiara is always enthusiastic. She felt so good that she would never have walked. In Fiesole she wanted to run. . On Colla she wanted to run. Luckily she listened to me when I told her to eat, change and even pee. It was not easy to convince her to ‘pull over’ to the side of the road, but I think this ‘trusting’ was the most Chiara’s great challenge in this test “. It is said that only at 75km, like Forrest Gump, Chiara exclaimed “I’m starting to be a bit tired” because for the rest, she joked with everyone, runners or passers-by who asked her “but how do you run at night? In this darkness ? “. A few kilometers of tension and silence only very close to the finish, then a liberating cry and after the start, he ignited his cheerful Bergamo chat. As soon as she arrived she wanted to call the President of the ship to wake him up at dawn, instead she called her parents saying “Mom I’m in Faenza, you know I was a Passatore!” BIRBONA. But it wasn’t over yet. The adrenaline showed no sign of going down and screaming in the locker room “I did the Passatoreeeee Ilaaaa !!!” and then songs, words in bursts, a world of sounds and joy that Chiara gives to all of us. And so this year, after having moved Turin as the first blind Italian peacemaker, it has also completed this other historic enterprise. Too bad that running is not a “noble” sport (!) Like football otherwise we would have seen it on all the news. Thanks Chiara for these beautiful emotions.”

MARCO ALBERTINI

“This event was planned and wanted in all respects.
The friendship that binds all of us was essential to be able to have fun despite the fatigue and the prohibitive weather.
In Piazza Della Signoria the rain made the smoke, so much so that unaware of the early departure of the disabled category, we lined up behind all the runners, Marco Albertini euphoric despite everything did not expect the overtaking of many runners up to Fiesole ..
His wheelchair ran well and we pushed him calmly and happy with how it was going.
We go down towards Borgo S. Lorenzo, the speed increases despite the brakes doing their duty in full, in the center of the town many people cheer Marco, and He replies that they must give us the applause because He is not making any effort to enjoy these 100km.
We all smile and joke about this to no end,
Before starting the ascent of Passo della Colla, in the locality of Ronta we make an agreed technical / physiological stop, change wheelchair to go to the bathroom and then back on the road up the hairpin bends up to the Pass.
Dusk falls and we gear up for the night, Marco wears a front light that illuminates the road, Casaglia, and then Marradi the kilometers go by, the fatigue begins to be felt.
We meet the border signs between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, Marco does not believe in his eyes, being there at night in having left Florence!
Brisighella, we all already smell the scent of Faenza’s Piazza del Popolo, the speed increases, and increases again, someone (Antonio Mammoli) trudges exhausted, while Marco Vannucci with his namesake Albertini whizzes in the last km.
In the last meters all the staff come together for an arrival that puts the chills and something more to everyone,
We are under the finish line, the dream is reality,
Marco Albertini from Prato 26, disabled, is in Faenza the Passatore is yours.
Best regards,
A.S.D CROCE ‘ORO PRATO”