| A rainy day in Lucca did not stop the passion of Italian Masters athletes. Instead, more than 900 runners competed at the National Cross Country Championships in the picturesque scenery of middle-age walls in this well-known fortified Tuscan town. The athletes had to face a course largely covered with mud, but eight different starts were done with 21 individual titles at stake. In the end, it was Atletica Paratico to be crowned National club champion scoring a double win, in both men and women standings. |  |
Among the best athletes in action Emma Quaglia, who was sixth in women’s marathon at IAAF World Championships in Moscow 2013, repeated his victory in W35 age group. A thrilling duel in M50 saw Luca Guatteri edge out European champion Valerio Brignone, with a time faster than M45 race. Female competitions were highlighted by Simona Prunea, three world indoor gold medals in Daegu, who won the W45 title defeating former National senior champion Patrizia Tisi.
After the success of this event, despite tough conditions, Lucca Municipality is looking forward to host other National Championships in the near future but is ready also for international competitions.
Full reports and results are available at FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) website: http://www.fidal.it/calendario/CAMPIONATI-ITALIANI-INDIVIDUALI-e-di-SOCIETA-DI-CROSS-MASTER-(data-anticipata)/COD6595