It was since 2016 that I hadn't sat down after the race to eat a pizza and drink a beer. There was always too much stress, things to finish, worries. I would go home thinking it was the last year. The joy, however, would come in the following days.
Yesterday at 9pm I was sitting at the table, eating, drinking and sharing experiences. There we were, the group on the finish line, and soon we will organise a dinner with all the volunteers who were not at Bora Village at that time.
This year has been incredible. A record year. We had a record number of entrants, just under 3000. We faced the worst weather of all editions, with a weather warning imminent. We also had a record number of non-starters despite having collected their bibs: 60% of those registered. But we had a record number of finishers on the hyper-trail: 100%, an incredible number considering the hardness of the race and the course. And then, a record of positive comments, joy and compliments. I have never seen so many happy competitors in a race, nor so many smiles in such bad weather.
Polemic: isn't it that with the bad weather only those who really want to enjoy it are left?
This morning I was moved by seeing a YouTube video of a Slovenian competitor posting his experience on the 38 km. A bright and sunny day in the downpour.
Lots of smiles and energy spread among all the competitors and staff. It was raining, but it was sunny. There was not a minute when the rain gave a respite. The guys on the finish line were dancing, the volunteers at the aid stations were radiating enthusiasm and the pleasure of welcoming runners to this land of contrasts. The guys in logistics, reception, security, tracking and cleaning. They were all with a smile and enthusiasm to welcome the runners and make them experience a sunny day even in bad weather.
The routes are always breathtaking. Beautiful, always varied and fun, but a beautiful route is not enough.
This is Trieste, this is the Karst. A borderland without borders, a land of contrasts, where bad weather brings beautiful emotions.
It all started at Ljubljana Castle on 2 January, with a 40-man hyper-trail. Then it was decimated to just over half due to flu, injuries or second thoughts. Those who started all arrived, taking home an experience that will last a lifetime, building new friendships every evening in the hut, talking about the stage. The first to go out to greet the last at the finish line, but the first for the effort sustained. On 2 January, a vortex of energy, enthusiasm, adrenalin began to form, parallel to the vortex of bad weather. A vortex that grew from Ljubljana to Trieste like a cyclone, carrying the competitors all the way to the finish line, over the sea.
An energy that pervaded all participants on 6 January, even those who did the 13 km, an extreme non-competitive. An oxymoron. Here, too, contrast is the protagonist.
This is La Corsa della Bora. The refreshments have been brought up to pre-covid levels, indeed reinforced. But it is not the how much or the what, it is the spirit of those who were there. It is the spirit that the volunteers, both those in contact with the runners and those who built the backbone of the event, behind the scenes, showed, which was unique.
It was a La Corsa della Bora with very bad weather. But it was the most beautiful La Corsa della Bora.
This thought, rather than thanks, is about how nice it is to work together on something that then belongs to everyone who has contributed to it.
La Corsa della Bora is mine. Any volunteer can say that.
And every person or organisation that has contributed to making it unique is a vital part of this creature. This is the uniqueness of the Corsa della Bora: a race with the soul of everyone who participates in making it unique and everyone feels it as their own. We are the Corsa della Bora.
Next year will be the tenth edition. Everything will change, or almost, but the spirit that we found this year will always be there and will always be the protagonist. This is the Bora. Being here is wonderful.
Tommaso de Mottoni
Race Director