The Town Hall, which is serving as the race headquarters, is located in Piazza San Francesco. While waiting for the 0815 briefing, I notice a poster advertising a Good Friday-themed photo exhibition being held upstairs, entitled "Passi di Passione", which roughly translates as "Footsteps of Suffering". A presage perchance?

As it happens, yes. Aldo (MC/organiser) has some unfortunate news to give us. They are obliged to shorten today's course too because 4 key members of the safety backup team were being hospitalised, having been involved in an accident a few hours earlier. The result is that a rapid response cannot be ensured should any of us suffer a mishap along the 22-kilometre route. Consequently 6k must be lopped off. Then comes a warning: the rain had rendered some sections into extremely slippery mud slides, so extra caution had to be exercised, especially on the single-file pathways.

Route

In "Day 1 - The night race", I mentioned the plethora of surfaces we ran on because I found the variety interesting. For today's run, I upped this feeling to "fascinating". A few minutes from the start, just after crossing a stream, we encountered the first muddy incline, where hands worked as much as feet in search of exposed tree roots or other vegetation for secure holds. Next on the menu of obstacles was a field of cow dung, which had been liquefied by the persistent rain of the previous days. Hmmm.....so much excrement about but, strangely enough, not a cow in site. Exiting this smelly but safe, the following section was simply waiting to snap an unsuspecting ankle. Here, deep but narrow holes a few centimetres apart pockmarked the earth, making us play a wild version of hopscotch. There was the inevitable mud bath along the way, of course, one of those where you are guaranteed to lose a shoe if you haven't laced up tightly enough.

Until now I haven't mentioned the crucifying hills because they are taken for granted in an event such as this. However, the first painful nail was hammered in at the half-way mark, a 2-kilometre switchback with very few runnable stretches because of its 20%+ gradients. Since this is where the technique of fast walking comes into play, I played it to the best of my ability and I must say that I have never known myself to have panted so much and for so long. The second nail to complete the athletic crucifixion was the approach to Caltavuturo. The surface was solid tarmac or paving stones but once again I was leaning into the hill - almost falling forward - to milk any gravitational benefits as a supplement to my own depleted reserves of energy. The steps leading up to the finish at the elevated town square were the final whip lash but, compared to the passion I had just endured, a mere tickle.

Elevation - Grade

"Il nostro amico Maltese" (our Maltese friend) booms over the speakers and with this greeting me and my Mellieha AC vest complete the Ecotrail della Luna, unexpectedly winning second place in the 45-50 age group.

Related posts:

• Ecotrail della Luna - Caltavuturo: the adventure starts tonight!
• Starting from the end
• Did I say adventure?
• Day 1 - the night race
• Ecotrail della Luna - video
• Day 2 - when even experienced trail runners walk
• Overreaching.....on a Piaggio Fly 125
• Ecotrail della Luna - podium photo
• Ecotrail della Luna - the results