The thirty-eighth edition of the Stellina Challenge will take place on Sunday, August 23, between Susa and Mompantero, on the slopes of Rocciamelone. The race will once again commemorate the exploits of the partisans of the "Stellina" Division, led by the philatelist Giulio Bolaffi, the famous Commander Laghi. On the trails that were the scene of the Battle of Grange Sevine on August 26, 1944, the Stellina Challenge will also host the Italian Championship for the third time, following in the footsteps of the previous editions in 2010 and 2020, which saw the victories of Valentina Belotti and Martin Dematteis first, and then Gaia Colli and Cesare Maestri. With the recent adaptation of the Italian mountain running events to the new international championship formats, on August 23rd the best national athletes in the discipline will compete for the Italian "Uphill" Senior and Junior titles, in a race that will also serve as the second stage of the Italian Club Championship and will be open to all Masters categories, for whom there will also be dedicated awards ceremonies.
For all athletes at the start, the historic route of the race will be a strong attraction, one that over the years has become the setting for challenges between athletes running in the jerseys of their respective national teams and which, in the background, retains the added value of the opportunity to compete against two absolute race records. The current holders are New Zealander Jonathan Wyatt (1 hour, 14'37" in 2004) and Austrian Andrea Mayr (1 hour, 29'41" in 2021), both multiple world champions and absolute icons of the discipline. Wyatt has a special bond with the Stellina Challenge, which he has won thirteen times, following the previous four consecutive successes by his historic adversary Antonio Molinari from Trentino. More recent, however, is the arrival on the trails of Susa and Mompantero of seven-time world champion Andrea Mayr, who waited until 2021 to add her noble signature to the roll of honor of a race that, until 2010, reserved a shorter route for women, starting from Chiamberlando, where the Junior and Masters over 65 races now start. A distance of 14.5 km and an elevation gain of over 1,600 meters are certainly demanding. The starting area at the Arch of Augustus, dating back to 8 BC, is also very impressive. A good portion of the Italian team is expected in Susa, having competed last June in the European Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia, after the Italian "Up and Down" event held in early May in Revello, Cuneo.
Bib collection will be possible on Saturday, August 22nd from 3 to 6 pm and on Sunday 23rd from 6:30 am to 8:15 am at the Castello della Contessa Adelaide in Susa. On Saturday 22nd at 5 pm at the Castle, the “Olympic Chiacchiere” will take place with Franco Bragagna, introduced by Olympic champions Livio Berruti and Maurizio Damilano. On Sunday 23rd, the race will start at 9 am from the Arch of Augustus for the Absolute categories and from Chiamberlando di Mompantero for the Juniores Under 20 and Masters over 6 categories. The first arrivals in Costa Rossa di Mompantero are expected at 9:45 am, while at 11:30 am the institutional event commemorating the partisan battle of Grange Sevine will begin.
