FROM 37C° IN THE CHAD DESERT TO THE MEZZALAMA: CIRAVEGNA'S EXTREME EXPERIENCE

From trail running to desert running in Chad, for ‘Ciravegna’ anything is possible! What's the secret?

‘No secret... just the will, the desire to renew oneself and take on new challenges. For me, trail running represents the gym. The fun is facing challenges in extreme environments that fascinate me in a special way, such as high mountains, where there is snow, to deserts, or in completely different contexts from the usual, such as the Inca Trail Marathon in Peru or the Big Five in South Africa or even the UTRB in Mauritius. 

Tell us about the trip to Chad? Complicated country in all respects?

'We had the unique opportunity to enter a corner of the world that we would otherwise not have been able to reach. J.P. Allaire's French organisation, in fact, has obvious contacts with the government and military police of Chad and so, slowly, this country is approaching a ‘primitive’ form of tourism. There, everything is kept under control by the military through force of arms and repression. We were able to reach the Ennedi region, where the race took place, thanks to the support of the military government, which provided us with two military planes that took us from the capital N'Djadema to Fada in two hours: a small spot in the desert where there is no civilian airport, but only a landing strip for emergency or military vehicles. This is a route of no less than 1,600 km, which in previous editions was covered by bus in 3 days! From Fada, always escorted, using 36 4x4 off-road vehicles, which centrifuged us for another two hours, they took us to the base camp, 120 km away, in an enchanted corner of the world. 

How long was the stay? Do we know of any health problems on the way back?

‘The whole thing lasted eight days, including the trip and five days at base camp. The first four days everything went well, I was in excellent health, but by the fifth day the story changed... it was to be expected and I consider myself lucky. The ‘little problem’ manifested itself after the race... salomonella in essence is the least that can happen, while trying to observe the most banal hygiene rules to avoid it. All this is because the Bedouins who ran the kitchen, although instructed on what to do, were working with their own criteria, a people who have much stronger antibodies and, furthermore, they don't know about amuchina, they don't know what it means to wash their hands after doing their business, they don't separate cooked and raw vegetables and, finally, the boiling point of water for drinking tea or coffee is occasionally reached. In short, the consequences are intuitable'.

Are you also (or formerly) a doctor as well as an athlete and what does running in the desert mean on a metabolic level?

‘The temperature range is considerable, you go from 5 C° to 37 C°, then there's a lot of wind, the air is dry and you don't perspire, while the sandy and rocky terrain puts a strain on the supports and muscle chains that are used to running on ‘hard’ ground. Running over there means having sand that gets into you everywhere, blisters form easily because being in full water autonomy you have heavy loads on your shoulders. The only ‘certainty’ relies on a GPS device provided by the organisation for the track. This mix of ingredients creates an incredible adrenalin rush. There, you not only have to know how to run, but you also have to keep your sensory system alert and at 100% to make the right choice and prevent thirst, hunger, blisters, heat or cold, anticipating the stimulus - which is often not perceived - before it is too late. This is achieved by planning well the management of food, water, change of socks, etc., before the problem arises, otherwise it is too late'.

The space, the silence, the solitary steps on the sand... are you back with ‘Africa-sickness’ too?

‘I had already come back from Jordan in 2011. It's been six years and every day of that I promised myself that I would return to do a race in the desert. Now this feeling is even more present! . It is difficult to explain for someone who has never been there, I cannot express what leads one to develop this ‘addiction’, but one thing is certain: the boundless spaces, those silences, the colours, I think they are unique and the mind wants, over time and unconsciously, to savour them again.

The focus is now on Mezzalama, but ski mountaineering is not really your habitat. Tell us about it, is it a challenge, a bet, what?

‘Mezzalama represents the desire to renew oneself, the desire to take on new challenges, the curiosity to test oneself in a sport at a competitive level that until now I have only tackled on weekends ‘only’ with the CAI hiking spirit. This challenge has created media attention beyond all expectations, I think because of the curiosity to see if two trail running athletes - Ansaldo and I - and a multi-athlete like Giovanni Montini can manage to prepare for one of the most demanding ski mountaineering races on the circuit in four months, with the aim of staying inside the narrow race gates. Sky recently followed us during training in Cervinia, filming a series of interviews, then the 3 cameramen will do other pre-, during and post-race shootings. In total there will be 5 reports on Icarus 2.0, starting on Monday 13 March, plus another one to be aired after the Mezzalama. The weight of responsibility generated by this and by the companies that support us is certainly an extra psychological obstacle, which is added to our lack of basic technique, despite the fact that champions such as Meraldi, Locatelli, Bieler and Follis, have lavished advice on us and are cheering us on!

An ‘ultra’ like you with a sports watch such as the Spartan Ultra: an ideal combination?

‘I don't think I need to say many words for a brand that is a guarantee. Spartan Ultra is the latest Suunto in my collection and with the recent updates it has been confirmed for what it is, endless and unique. Movescount I believe is the best management platform ever because it is clear, easy to use, rich in content without forgetting the possibility of planning workouts and importing and exporting tracks and sharing everything. Bluetooth for mobile notifications and the touch screen complete the picture. Fantastic.