Monday, April 16, 2012

Rome's Vivicittà 2012

I have never run a race along a river and, yesterday, the 2012 edition of the Rome's Vivicittà 12 km race was held along the  river Tevere (Tiber in latin language). Rome is located on that river and hundreds of runners enjoyed that race. The scenery was beautiful and I could see other people who enjoyed that river: rowing, canoeing, birdwatching, hiking, biking and walking. Spring weather was perfect. From the 1st to the 7th km the running path was in good conditions because we ran along the cycle track next to the river. After we had run seven  km we crossed the bridge and reached the left bank of the river where there was a refreshment point: water and ... chocolate cake! I would have never tought chocolate cake during a race. How can I eat a cake while I'm running? While I was drinking some water Stefano rushed ahead because he didn't drink. Anyway, I took a cake but didn't eat it. So, I left  the refreshment point and  I ran down hill from the bridge to the left bank of the river where there were a lot of potholes. I realized I was running down a dangerous path! I reached Stefano at the 8th km and gave him the cake which was packed. Maybe he needed energy! Unfortunately, while we were running along the left bank of the river, exactly from the 8th to the 9th, the running path was muddy and we had no choice but to run through the mud. From the 10th to the 12nd km there were cobblestones on the running path: terrible! After 1 hour and 4 minutes we crossed the finish line: that race was really challenging. I'm in the  photo below close to Stefano ... although you can see my red pants only :)



Happy running to all my blogger friends!

10 comments:

Char said...

I wouldn't have thought that the middle of a race would be the right time for chocolate cake. But I guess any time is the the right time for chocolate cake.

ajh said...

I love chocolate cake but after the race please not in the middle of it!

Amy said...

Yum - cake! Too bad they didn't save it for the end of the race! And too bad for the mud, too - but cobblestones are okay, just have to be careful not to trip.

Black Knight said...

Thank you for the help, the kind mentions and the pic.
It was a real epic adventure, I cannot forget all that mud.

Fran said...

Chocolate cake is my favorite kind of cake but I wouldn't have eaten it during the race. Like you I would have grabbed a piece and save it for after the race.

As I said to Stefano, those cobblestones sound more like the both of you were running Paris-Roubaix :) sounds hard.

Saucy Siciliana said...

I would love a piece of chocolate cake! You must have passed near our house, we are near the Lungotevere di Ponte Testaccio.

Anonymous said...

That sounds like fun having a race next to a river. I will have to start looking for races near bodies of water! btw nice pants :-)

Thomas Bussiere said...

Congrats on another great race. I read BK report and sounds like the knee is a little better. Looks like some rough running sections along the water.

Johann said...

I would always have chocolate cake. never mind where and when, I'll have it. Sounds like a great race, well done to you and Stefano.

Christina said...

I've heard of donuts, wine and oysters during a race but not chocolate cake.