Cesare Maestri BY E VA TO S C H I
PHOTOS ANDREA SCHILIRÒ
An engineer immersed in the Brenta Dolomites with a great dedication to mountain running. A great commitment as an engineer and as a person to the environment and the desire to convey what he is passionate about. Athlete of the Italian National Mountain Running supported by Nike, Cesare Maestri tells us about his trails and his thoughts. When and why did you start running in the mountains? When I started running I imme-
Hi Cesare, tell us something about yourself!
My name in Cesare, I live in Trentino in a small village called Borgo Lares, located at the bottom of the valley, surrounded by the mountains. I divide my time between here and Trento, where I work as an energy engineer in the field of renewable energy. I started running relatively late, around 17 and 18 years old, because I used to practice other sports: cross-country skiing, cycling, a few runs every now and then, some ski mountaineering tours. At 17 I started running thanks to my first coach, Marco Borsari, who noticed that I run fast even if I didn't do athletics, and he pushed me to start running seriously. It was love at first sight and I never stopped. I think I could now consider myself a good athlete who wants to continue improving and expressing himself to the maximum in competitions, in training and in life.
diately started doing it in the mountains: it was a natural process given the place where I live. I was used to go hiking in the mountains and once I started running my hikes naturally turned into running sessions. So I became passionate about trail running which for me is the perfect symbiosis between two things I love, running and the mountains. What feelings do you experience running surrounded by nature? The main feeling is free-
dom, because it's just me in an uncontaminated and beautiful environment. I feel free to choose the trail, the speed, free to look around, to work hard as much as I want. Another feeling I experience is lightness because I feel free and with no constrainment, with no unnecessary thoughts either. Running in nature brings me relief, I can disconnect from everything and rework the thoughts I had in the previous days, it helps me to reflect and understand my role in the world.
What are your favorite trails? Surely those
on the mountains near home, in the Adamello-Brenta Park, because when I run there I feel truly free, light and at peace with myself. In these places I don't even notice the time passing by. I particularly like to vary my training as I have a wide choice of trails and peaks. I like to immerse myself in the Brenta Dolomites, pass by the alpine huts or run in the wildest areas of the Adamello, on lesser-known trails.
How important is the feeling with the shoe?
It is certainly important since you do not have many running equipments, the main one you have must give you good feelings. The shoe must be comfortable, it must protect you in the most difficult sections and it must have the right reactivity when you need to push.
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