For Aldo Allori, spring never ends: after the category victories in Venturina and Grosseto came that of the ninth Lucca Half Marathon, where on 5 May Irolla placed first in the 70/74 years category and 185th overall out of 1,300 starters in a Very tight race won by Wayiba Bernard.
In just a few years, the Lucca half marathon has become a classic of Tuscan and Italian running and also to discover the beauty of a city, run within it, in its historic centre, among buildings, churches, towers, streets and squares. And Aldo did it in record time, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 30 seconds, leaving behind more than a thousand people and many young people trained and amazed to see this athlete whizzing by, who also became famous for his white mustache which he devoured with passion the route is safe between the departure between the Baluardo San Paolino and the Salita del Caffè delle Mura, in the green lung of the city, then the fascinating historic center, the climb up the city walls and the arrival in Piazza Napoleone.
Aldo runs for the Gruppo Sportivo Apuano Team Ecoverde, but all the competing athletes now call him Elbano and he says: «I’m happy about this, about being from Elba. They are like lamps attached to the rock. This island is as fascinating as a woman and I am in love with it, like many artists and ordinary people who discover the beauty of Elba and remain there.”
Between April and May Allori competed a lot and with many victories and now, like an island Forrest Gump he confesses: «I’m a bit tired. It will stop me for a few weeks to catch my breath.” Which, for this iron and granite athlete, however, means continuing to train while he paints, does social volunteering and talks about beauty, art and love for the island with the kids from the Marinese schools who go to visit him in his atelier hidden among the ancient houses of Toro in Marciana Marina.
Meanwhile, in Lucca Aldo Allori was informed in Lucca that he is one of the best master athletes in the FIDAL ranking and declared: «This fills me with joy. because life, and even old age, is the divine dream of men: to challenge the impossible and start again, always start again, as the poet said. It doesn’t matter how long you live, but with how much light inside.”
And the light of Elba’s winning races will illuminate the streets of Italy for a long time to come, like one of his colorful paintings.
Umberto Mazzantini
