509 kilometers of racing in Sicily. On Etna the athletes of La Cursa di Ciclopi

The former have already descended from the slopes of Etna, while the latter are still approaching the volcano. This is the situation of the male and female athletes who are participating in the “Cursa di ciclopi”, the over 500 km race that began last Saturday in Cefalù and which will always end in the Norman city by next Saturday when the last runners are expected to arrive.

As foreseen, the Italian Marco Gubert and the French Sebastien Raichon are among the athletes leading the race and the British Sabrina Verjee is among the athletes, all of whom have already successfully participated in similar races, including the prestigious Tor des Gèants in the Aosta Valley.

Of the 59 male and female athletes competing, 18 have already completed the “halfway” of Etna and are on their way back, 20 are right now along the roads and paths around the Volcano. All are constantly tracked thanks to GPS trackers, essential to guarantee safety and are assisted along the way by dozens of volunteers, medical personnel and civil protection operators who guarantee that everything takes place in total safety.

The images arriving from the Madonie mountains are particularly suggestive, with some flashes of snow still visible along the way, and, obviously, from Etna, where the black of the lava flows and paving stones contrasts with the white of the summit. Precisely on Etna, for safety reasons a small change of the route was decided due to the weather conditions which are obviously constantly monitored.

If they maintain their current pace, the first runners are expected to have completed the more than 500km course by late evening or into the night.