Great Times Clocked at the Bocconi Run

They occupy the front line, leaning slightly forward, legs tensed and ready to leave the larger mass of runners behind. They are the top competitors in the Bocconi Run, an 8km race organized by the Sports Association at the University. The rest of the 250 entrants are mostly trying for their personal best, competing with themselves.

Weather conditions were good on 3 October, and a doctor from Bergamo, Andrea Sigismondi, 26, took advantage to finish with an impressive 27'29", shaving a minute off the record set last year by Simone Spessot, 4th this year.

Andrea Sigismondi (at left) and Elena Vittone (2nd from rt)

The women's winner, young Elena Vittone, 19, from Turin, is both a Bocconi student and Piemonte juniors regional cross-country champion. She clocked in at 31'12" , edging last year's winner, Vanessa Fusar Imperatore.

Further back but very satisfied were Bocconi porfessors Stefano Zorzoli and Giorgio Fiorentini: "38'48" is a 3- minute improvement over last year", explains Zorzoli, "Real progress, and more than I expected." First-timer Fiorentini, just over 43', said: "I think the Bococni Run is a great chance to reaffirm our relations with the city".
Many other participants represented diverse aspects of the Bocconi community, like Andrea Celauro, who works in the Press Office. "My hope was to get under 40 minutes, and at 39'20" I reached my goal." 44 year-old alumnus Riccardo Guerra, a controller at la Start People, finished at 38'58", "a minute and a half better than last year, even if I'm a year older."Bocconi Sport Team President Alessandro Ciarlo passed out the awards at the end, with the promise to meet again a year from now with new adversaries and times to challenge.