MARCIALONGA: THE FIRST TIME FOR KARIUKI AND NGANGA

Great performance of the athletes of Run2gether at the 17th edition
In the men’s race, the Gambian athlete from Valsugana Ousman Jaiteh missed his second victory, second place for him
Eliana Patelli aimed to win her fourth Marcialonga Running, but Nganga from Kenya won with a 34”-lead
In the relay race there were also the former Olympic Italian athletes Deville, Costazza and Zorzi

Marcialonga is always Marcialonga. Whether on skis, bikes or foot, it's always a successful brand.
Yesterday, the number of entries to Marcialonga Running Coop was 1,500, today there were a few less athletes at the start, and four Kenyans monopolized the podiums. Ronald Ngigi Kariuki and Jane Wanja Nganga participated in the race for the first time and they took home the victory.  Kariuki won ahead of the 2018 winner Ousman Jaiteh, while Nganga triumphed ahead of Eliana Patelli who was aiming to get her fourth personal victory. There was also the competition for the relays with a purpose of solidarity. The team "La Squadra Allegra" won, but there was also a team of former Olympic Italian athletes: Cristian Deville, Chiara Costazza and Cristian Zorzi with the colours of LILT (Italian cancer organization).
It was a sunny day in Val di Fassa and Val di Fiemme. The participants ran on a 26km track that took them from the centre of Moena (start at 9.30 am) to the centre of Cavalese along the track of Marcialonga skiing and the bike path of the valleys, passing through the world and Olympic stadiums of Predazzo (ski jump arena) and of Lago di Tesero (cross-country stadium).
The elite athletes and the ‘senators’, those who have participated in all editions, started in the first rows. From Piazza De Sotegrava the big group turned then into a long line of athletes, and the African gazelles imposed the hierarchies of the day already in the first kilometres. Kariuki, Kemoi and Wangari with the Gambian, now from Trentino, Ousman Jaiteh immediately imposed a very strong pace. Few athletes were able to keep the pace and in the first kilometres Michele Vaia, Francesco Mich and the Swede Anton Rehn tried to limit the gap.
Jaiteh was certainly one of the most active. Wangari was the first of the African athletes to lose contact with the leaders, then Kemoi. After Predazzo, Jaiteh found himself face to face with the Kenyan. Both immediately understood that they were going to win the race, it was only necessary to establish how the two first positions would be assigned. Jaiteh certainly, knowing the track, aimed to surprise his rival on the final climb, but the Kenyan showed a unique determination and accelerated before the finish line, leaving the opponent amazed. Ronald Ngigi Kariuki crossed alone the finish line in Via Bronzetti, stopping the clock in a good 1h24'22", which is not a record time. Ousman Jaiteh arrived 14" behind the first, a bit disappointed for not having won, and a bit happy because he was coming back after a period of stop. Jaiteh is training to get the good time in the marathon to enter the Olympic national team of his country. In the end Kemoi gave up and crossed the finish line in third place with the Swede Anton Rehn fourth but far behind. Fifth was the other Kenyan Wangari. Among the ‘mere mortals’ Francesco Mich from Val di Fiemme proved to be more competitive and finished sixth ahead of Peyracchia, Casolin, Radoani and Leonardi.
The women's race saw two protagonists. From the start Eliana Patelli, who was absent for a while from Marcialonga Running Coop and took part in the race with the intention of getting her fourth victory, was joined by the Kenyan Jane Wanja Nganga. The pace was fast but these two athletes ran together, only in the final the Kenyan found the energy to accelerate and won with a 34"-lead ahead of Patelli; third place for Loretta Bettin, who crossed the finish line with a gap of 6'17”.
The relay race discovered a new way of approaching Marcialonga Coop. It was indeed organised with the aim of promoting solidarity, and so it was. The team "La Squadra Allegra" won with Alessio Gottardi, Willi Piller and Alessandro Chiocchetti. The LILT team made the news, not for its 5th place, but for the name of its members; the name of the team was Azzurri per la Vita, Italians for Life. Cristian Deville, Chiara Costazza and Cristian Zorzi raced in a white T-shirt from LILT (Cancer organisation - Trentino).
Marcialonga Coop closed also the Combined Point3 Craft – the sum of the results of the three competitions Marcialonga – and the winner were Lorenzo Busin and Monica Confortola. The president Corradini was very satisfied after the race: "The trend of Marcialonga is extremely positive; all three events, Skiing, Cycling and Running had a positive sign, it means that we are on the right track".
Marcialonga Running Coop will be broadcast – with a 30' summary – on RAI Sport next Thursday 5th at 4.10 pm.
And now the whole committee will be focused on the historic Winter Marcialonga scheduled for the last Sunday in January.

Ranking men
1 Kariuki Ronald Ngigi Run2gether KEN 01:24:22; 2 Ousman Jaiteh Trentino Running Team ITA 01:24:36; 3 Kemoi Gilbert Kiprotich Run2gether AUT 01:25:34; 4 Rehn Anton Hogby If SWE 01:29:07; 5 Wangari Peter Chege Run2gether KEN 01:29:15; 6 Mich Francesco Atletica Trento ITA 01:29:30; 7 Peyracchia Simone A.S.D.Podistica Valle ITA 01:29:34; 8 Casolin Michael Vicenza Marathon ITA 01:30:41; 9 Radoani Juri S.A. Valchiese ITA 01:32:16; 10 Leonardi Massimo X-Bionic Running Team ITA 01:32:51

Ranking women
1 Nganga Jane Wanja Run2gether KEN 01:38:16; 2 Patelli Eliana G.S.La Recastello Radici ITA 01:38:50; 3 Bettin Loretta Atl. Paratico ITA 01:44:32; 4 Cunico Maurizia Atl. Casone Noceto ITA 01:45:33; 5 Ferraboschi Daniela Mds Panaria Group ITA 01:45:43; 6 Marcolini Manuela A.S.D. 3.30 Team ITA 01:46:28; 7 Venturelli Gloria Mds Panaria Group ITA 01:46:56; 8 Chiaramonti Laura A.S.D Luivan Settignano ITA 01:47:14; 9 Casaro Elena Atl. Di Lumezzane C.S.P. ITA 01:47:37; 10 Zilio Anna A.S.D. Team Km Sport ITA 01:47:55

Ranking relays
1 La Squadra Allegra 01:47:54; 2 Trentino Robinson 01:50:37; 3 X Le Rais; 4 Donna Dinamica 1 01:53:03; 5 Azzurri Per La Vita 01:54:10; 6 Atletica Fassa 01:54:38; 7 Donna Dinamica 2 01:54:55; 8 The Sparrows 01:57:11; 9 Barcollo Ma Non 02:05:22; 10 Girls 2 Valli 02:06:14

Combined Punto3 Craft
Men: 1 Busin Lorenzo total time 09:57:11; 2 Lazzeri Luca 10:18:04; 3 Barp Toni 10:58:03
Women: 1 Confortola Monica 09:57:50; 2 Boniciolli Micaela 11:01:53; 3 Mariani Silvia 11:48:21
Over 65: 1 Giannina Italo Giuseppe 12:02:31; 2 Comini Franco 12:32:42; 3 Montanari Cesare 14:33:33; 4 Ferrari Lino 15:22:52
Men teams: 1 Bartolomeo Tiscione - Filippo Calliari - Giorgio Sebastiani total time 10:32:34
Women teams: 1 Rita Nones - Barbara Zambotti - Francesca Caminada total time 10:24:41