About us

He inherits the running disease in his family, but tries to escape it by engaging in any other sport until he is sucked into the vortex. These are the heroic days of the first Italian ultras, and he relies on whatever advice he can find on forums, magazines, literary cenacles and clandestine tresette meetings. Then he realizes that a scientific approach might perhaps yield some results and returns to the books after the (equally heroic) days of college. An incurable talker, be careful about asking him any question, especially concerning running.

He is the one in charge of coaching and also the one who throws out ideas and hopes someone (else) will make them real.
He, he says, has to run or he doesn’t stay current.

FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) Technician Matriculation SV0656
FIPE (Italian Weightlifting Federation) Personal Trainer.

TrainingPeaks

Jack of all trades: skiing, climbing, swimming, biking, running, and thankfully, at least he stopped skating. Common denominator of activities done: whether they are painful and deleterious to mental and/or physical health. He designs, writes and publishes the only real running fanzine that ever existed and organizes the first completely illegal race in Italy (maybe it was better not to write this one).

He coaches and competes with equal enthusiasm, and besides following his athletes, he carelessly drops a million ideas in there. Unlike Coach, he somehow finds a way to implement them all thanks to his determination and the deadly platoon of friends led by Lt. Mirel.

We keep picturing him running, and again, the destination is unknown.
Hello Paco, the music of your footsteps will never stop playing.

UNGHIE ROTTE MANI APERTE

Having always been active in the mountains, she finds herself, despite herself, involved in running by the shady crowd. She demonstrates early on a predilection for very long distances and a deep hatred for climbs-she is still looking for the ultra that has only downhill; if you have information, contact her.

She brings her feminine, rational and ironic (who said cynical?) touch to a group of smoky, messy and fundamentally lost minds. With her Savoyan pragmatism she manages to keep discussions on consonant and productive tracks, sawing off with enviable style the Pindaric flights of the running philosophers she finds herself managing.

He coaches athletes and runners on trail and road, from off-road newbies to some old foxes of the trails, coordinates the organization of Camps and manages the most important part of Destination Unknown: the financial part.

FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) Technician Matricula GE1307

Known in Vicenza and California ultrarunning circles as “The Bocia,” he began his running career with the express purpose of finding an excuse not to study. His young age soon led him into bad company, and from that moment he began his descent into the underworld of distance running.

After suffering the anguish of Coach Grazielli for years, he decides to rebel and as often happens the victim becomes the torturer: he brings to the group his freshness, a precision at the limits of endurance and a maniacal dedication.

He lives in the province of Vicenza trying to hold his own against his partner in running and in life: one of the few battles in which he regularly succumbs.

FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) Technician Matricula VI1490
FIPE (Italian Weightlifting Federation) Personal Trainer.

A leading exponent of DU’s Savoy column, Andrea has been hanging out on trails and mountains for years, with a never-concealed preference for his beloved Aosta Valley.

At ease on technical trails and rocky descents, he has been forced over the years by Coach Grazielli to accept unwelcome workouts on smooth, velvety trails: in the endless discussions of football faith and racing faith, each remains anchored to his original ideas, but they still love each other. Or at least as much as a Genoan and a Juventus fan can love each other.

A founding member of the Turin Crew Running Company, he holds the position of Presidentissimo of Trail Running Torino, being in fact the only reliable and willing person on the board. If you happen to be in the area, don’t miss their Wednesday hill runs.

FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) Technician Matricula TO383
FIPE (Italian Weightlifting Federation) Personal Trainer.

Our first Coach from abroad comes from England and his name is Adam.

Adam lives close to Guilford and, most of all, close to his beloved North Downs Way, in one of the most scenic places of the South. He’s been running local trails for years, but he likes to travel and tackle new challenges in the Alps or the desert.

Married and father of three, he brings to DU his calm approach, his curiosity for new methods and his expertise in all aspects of running and racing. Check out his YouTube channel Ultra Runner Adam it’s stacked with cool stuff.

Adam has a Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) certification from England Athletics.

It was hard for us to pass up a guy who, with his first marathon in mind, goes to Transgrancanaria to see what the trail is like: “fits the bill” as the Americans say, he fits in well with the group.

Trevigiano by origin, then Milanese by passage, now Swiss from Zurich, where unlike Milan, he finds suitable terrain for grinding out miles.

Would you have guessed that he is a former rugby player? No, neither did we. But watching him run, you can tell his speed came in handy in the wide field.

Davide comes from triathlon, where in addition to being an excellent athlete, he also started his coaching career.
Caught on the bug of running long distances, he brings to DU his “manic with flair” approach that distinguishes him in all fields, from running to cooking. When he is not AWOL in the mountains, you will find him in Milan grinding out kilometres and training plans by day, at the Linearetta by night.
Some say you can’t even tell that he is an engineer by training. Evidently someone who does not know him.

UESCA Certified Trail Running Coach

Originally from Turin, she divides her time between Milan and her beloved Valsesia, where she accumulates kilometres and metres of elevation gain with her trademark grace.
After trying to contain her insatiable thirst for data as an athlete, we thought that the only way to keep her in check was to get her on the other side of the fence.
She got on well there, and so now she can indulge in numbers and values with her athletes, happy between formulas, paces and heart rate values.
In her spare time, she still finds a way to punish all the other coaches when the distances are short, but, sadly for them, she has already started to set the record straight in ultras as well.

FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) technician

Another “heir” to a family tradition of running long. After helping us for years to understand how stressed our athletes were with his HRV4Training app, he decided to become actively involved in creating that stress by taking up coaching himself.

He is the scientific mind of the group, who, in addition to his abilities, appreciate his unaffected composure and common sense even in the most heated discussions. To even the score, we know that all we have to do is mention the word Passatore to see him become animated and lose all rationality. We didn’t tell you that, of course.

After living in San Francisco, he and his partner Alessandra divide their time between Amsterdam and their beloved Brisighella. No, seriously: he sometimes reluctantly leaves his beloved Brisighella, where he has now put roots down. Partly so he can stay on the Passatore route, and partly because, like any self-respecting scientist, he has created a dark cave in which to analyse athletes (and other coaches!) whom he convinces to join the BRISIGHELLA LAB by unorthodox means.

After eating our liver too many times for athletes who have instead ruined their stomachs, DU coaches have finally found the right person: it is the young Sara who is now in charge of rescuing coaches and athletes by guiding the lost sheep in the delicate world of nutrition. A Biologist Nutritionist, but above all an excellent Mountain Runner, she divides her time between her studio, training and trying to educate DU athletes.
The coaches are grateful, to the extent that we will never hold her Spartan/Obstacle racer past against her again. At least until next time.