Bologna, 14 June 2024 – How beautiful and evocative it is Bologna at the first light of dawn. A sort of magical aura that helps make it truly unique Run 5.30the race that landed in the shadow of the Two Towers in 2011 thanks to Ginger ssd and became great with the contribution of Uisp which carried the message forward.
What is the message? That you can run in peace, when the rest of the city is sleeping or resting. With a soft step, without exaggerations, chatting with a friend, enjoying views that only Bologna, at dawn, is able to offer. How many people from Bologna are at Run 5.30? At least three thousand, maybe four thousand. These are not the pre-pandemic numbers, but after Covid we actually started from scratch and Bologna continues to be generous and embraces this idea. That of running freely, without getting dirty. Having breakfast, upon arrival, with the cherries collected in packages that reduce waste to a minimum. And they are recyclable anyway.
Bologna the red. Not so much for the political color or the color of the walls, but for the t-shirts that have this shade. Although there are also vintage versions from the past. Some sport the white t-shirt (the one from the tenth anniversary), some the yellow, some the blue from last season.
There isn’t a ranking because, as happens with StraBologna, another Uisp classic, it’s about a non-competitive one. But they go up to the virtual podium Lorenzo Mandana29 years old, nurse, Andrea Verardi, 39, craftsman and Francesco Ianieri, 28, osteopath. It’s on the track Romano Prodi with his son Giorgio. It was the Professor, a few years ago, who cleared Piazza Maggiore for the Run 5.30, at the time ‘confined’ to Piazza Santo Stefano. Prodi has not changed his mind. “How did it go? As a poor old man – he laughs -. It’s a magnificent city. The sun is out, there is happiness, but above all we don’t disturb anyone. We ran at a gentle pace.”
Run 5.30: Romano Prodi is also present in the streets of the center of Bologna (photoSchicchi)
Almost the poster of the race, while Sergio Bezzanti, one of the two organizers together with Sabrina Severi – not far away Donatella Draghetti, Uisp manager – continues to wave the flag, greeting the arrival of the participants in his own way. The evil ones say that there were 3 thousand runners and two ‘injured’ people. Injured precisely by the crazy flag-waver. But it is malicious, or rather a cheerful joke because people have fun in the square and create stories, fables and legends. And the stories, as well as the characters, are many. With Professor Romano Prodi and his son Giorgio I am there Stefano Dall’Aravice president of Gattinoni Group and lawyer Cinzia CeccoliniIus Runner.
There is Paolo Bordon, director of the ASL: “Wonderful race, congratulations to the organizers”. There is Renato Villalta, who tries to hide under a hat, but his 204 centimeters still stand out. At his side Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi. There is Ester Balassini, once queen of the hammer throw, now Fidal provincial delegate. She sprints as always, the sports councilor Roberta Li Calzi. There is also Franz Campi, who with Stefano Dall’Ara recalls the Giardini Margherita tournament. And speaking of Playground, here is Pigi Rossi, who was the coach of the Cartolini. Pigi is an extraordinary storyteller: running the Run 5.30 alongside him would mean getting lost in evocative images and stories. They say that he cut (in the sense of shortening the route), Pigi, because he arrives at the finish line fresh as a rose. But even Pigi’s ‘cuts’ are (perhaps) malignant. There is Stefano Cavuoto who in the last century was the Progresso striker (who first grew up in Pallavicini). There is Roberto Morgantini of Cucine Popular, while Marcello Ciurlo, who personally traced the path for Uisp, gives life to the ‘scopa’ service. He gets in line and cleans up what’s left of the ride. And the others? Roberto Diolaiti (“humble, but I am there”, his mantra) which gives rise to a head-to-head conversation with Alfeo Brognara. Then Marco Briolini, Mirco Baroncini, Marco Parazza with his wife Sandra Tassinari. There is Daniele Menarinidirector of Correre e Alessio Guidi of ‘Passo Capponi’ with the faithful Stefano Budriesi. There is Francesca Grana, photojournalist profession who until two evenings before was at the Olimpico in Rome for the European Athletics Championships. There are no medals (except virtual and wooden ones) for Run 5.30. But there are so many nice people. There is a desire to party.
“When is the next edition?”.
