Corri con noi (Run with Us), the exciting Donna Moderna project for women who have chosen running and walking as their way of keeping fit and healthy, networking and building their self-confidence, has come to its final stage for this year.

After weeks of training in towns and cities across Italy, on 11 October a group of ambassadors, along with the magazine’s editor, Annalisa Monfreda, took part in a race against the splendid backdrop of the Valle d’Aosta. A competition with an entirely new formula and programme, with a selected number of participants to (safely and securely) conclude, the third edition of Corri con noi.

“Running together, sharing an exhausting challenge, helping and being helped along the way, these are the values of our project, the ones that help to make running an exercise in sisterhood and brings together our community of runners. And this is exactly what happened in the Valle d’Aosta, where we wrote the latest chapter in the extraordinary story of  Donna Moderna,” declared Annalisa Monfreda, editor of Donna Moderna.

Immersed in the suggestive surroundings, between the villages and pathways of the mountains, the athletes tenaciously and enthusiastically ran a 20-km trail, from  Gressoney-Saint-Jean, at an altitude of almost 1,400 metres, to Gressoney-La-Trinité, at more than 1,600 metres, and on to Alpenzù Grande at 1,788 metres, passing through ancient Walser villages with their characteristic houses built of wood and stone, alpine lakes nd valleys, where nature gives of its best.

A unique Alpine experience to enjoy the beauty of Monte Rosa and feel the flow of adrenaline that only an off-road race can offer.

Making the race even more memorable was the autumnal hues of the fir and larch trees, ranging from orange to yellow and red, that transformed the landscape into an authentic palette of colours.

From Iveta Sedlackova from Florence, an ambassador also last year in the race in the desert of Morocco, to Grazia Bellomo from Naples, who was taking part in a trail race for the first time, enthusiastic women runners challenged themselves and shared, using the brand’s social media channels as well as their own personal profiles, all of the excitement of this special adventure.

The event began the day before with a pre-race training session that brought together the participants and all of the staff of Donna Moderna in a 5-km walks around the Savoia castle on the “Regina Margherita” path, followed by a night-time walk.

The real final race got going on Sunday and was won by Elisa Adorni, an ambassador from Parma and the winner of the final race in the first two editions, followed by Federica Verdoya, an ambassador from Padova and Eleonora Suizzo, an ambassador from Catania.

“The thing I wanted most from these two days was to rediscover the group because a very strong bond has remained since the first edition in the Negev, and even when we are far away we are always in contact, from Sicily to Veneto, friendship is the most important thing for us,” said Elisa Adorni, winner of the race.
Others took part along with the ambassadors, including Ilaria Veronese, Italian alpine skiing champion and Scarpa athlete, and Elena Griffa, Laura Rho and Carlotta Montanera (known on social media as Running Charlotte), super trail-running experts, who on this occasion offered advice and support to the other participants.

Now in its third edition, Corri con noi is an initiative dedicated to women who want to take up running, those who run already and want to improve and expert runners who want to share their enthusiasm and experience. A community that revolves around a passion for running, not just as a sport, but also as a way of helping women to become more aware of their potential, their strength and to make them feel more secure, improve their mood and keep daily stress at bay.

And in September, both safely and securely the new appointments with Corri con noi began on twelve Italian cities and towns to train together with qualified coaches.

The Main Partner of the initiative is SCARPA, Italy’s leading producer of sports footwear and the Spin Ultra model for trail running.

Other partners include: GARMIN world leader in GPS technology for sport, fitness and the outdoors; Mediterranea Cosmetics with a line of cosmetic products for skincare and bodycare; Lauretana with Europe’s lightest mineral water; Benped® a new generation of hydrocolloid patches and a range of advanced technology orthopaedic supports, for the well-being of feet.

Supporter of the final race was the Autonomous Region of Valle d’Aosta, which with its magical background hosted our runners and the race.

Donna Moderna, the magazine brand of reference in the women’s segment, is an ecosystem which, thanks to a unique mix of practical advice, first-hand testimony, stories and live daily events, is always at the side of its readers and their needs. Through the magazine and its web channels, it reaches a n total audience of 14.6 users every month (Source: Nielsen Media impact, data fusion March 2020), to which should be added over 2 million fans on social media, with 1.3 million monthly interactions (source: Fanpage Karma, August 2020).