Ivana Iozzia, tricolor in marathon and blue in trail and mountain running, celebrated her 50th birthday by returning to run the New York Marathon, her favorite place
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– New York
He turned 50 and when it came to choosing which gift to give himself Ivana Iozzia he had no doubts: run the New York Marathon. Indeed, running again in New York which, for the Italian mountain and trail runner, is a truly special race. “Someone thought that I wanted to close a circle – says the runner from Como – to finish where it all began. It is not so. I just wanted to reward myself for the round birthday: usually we runners do this.”
Ivana Iozzia’s first time in New York
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It was the year 2000 and Ivana Iozzia is good volleyball player, series C. The encounter with running is casual. She works in the world of fabrics, and one of her clients wins her a participation in the New York marathon. “That race and then running turned my life upside down, I entered a new dimension. I also found love, my coach Eugenio Frangi”. Twenty-three years later she closed New York at 14th place in 2h41’16”, before the F50s. In 2000 he made his marathon debut with an impressive 2h48’39”. In a few years they then arrived three Italian titles in Padua in 2005, in Rome in 2007 and in Carpi in 2012. The last marathon in 2017, then again in New York.
in New York 23 years later
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“This time the approach was different, I have 23 years of experience. In 2000, however, everything was new: the first plane, the first marathon, a new adventure. But this time too it was a great emotion to be on the Verrazzano bridge. New York is a marathon that always gives a lot from an emotional point of view”. Lots of emotions, but also some disappointment from a technical point of view.
a difficult race to manage
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“In my legs I had a time under 2 hours and 40, but maybe not on a course as tough as New York. The start was not ideal. I was in the first wave after the tops, but in front there was a group that was proceeding slowly: I started far from the line and found myself bottled up in the first kilometre. So I set off nervously and a little fast, we proceeded in spurts and without reference to the half time. Up until the 30th km I had been running for 2 hours and 38 minutes, but towards the end I dropped.”
Ivana Iozzia and the carefreeness of 50 years
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Time trial aside (“2 hours and 40 minutes would have been the icing on the cake”), the race was still a moment of celebration. “Unlike a World Cup, where there is the responsibility of representing Italy, here I felt I was racing just for myself and I wanted to enjoy it. I also acted as a tourist a bit after the race. This time I took it in a more relaxed spirit. I’m 50 years old, it’s not like I always have to go all out. I don’t feel like I’ve failed”.
a season that started really badly
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A double success, given that the year had opened with dangerous back problems. “I stopped for three months, I was afraid I wouldn’t run again. In May I started to believe it. I was out of the Trail World Championships, ok, but then I came 2nd in the Zermatt marathon and the Davos trail, 1st in the Bormio-Stelvio and the Stralivigno. I prepared New York by running a retreat in Livigno: twice-daily training, an average of 210-230 km per week, 35-40 km long”.
a trail-hardened marathon runner
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At 50 years old, Ivana Iozzia still grinds out kilometers after kilometres. “I think it’s also thanks to the trail, which strengthened my head. Doing races and training for 4 hours helps, it brings out that desire for suffering. I had little trouble doing the long distances alone: the trail has tempered me in my approach to training”.
Iozzia and his running community
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However, Ivana Iozzia did not run alone in New York. “I found a bib at the last moment and through an agency. However I have to thank the administration of my municipality, Lurate Caccivio and the mayor Anna Gargano. They took steps to find local sponsors who would allow me to pay for the trip. As soon as I returned there was a small party, while on December 7th I will be rewarded for my sporting merits.” In short, celebrating 50 years like Ivana Iozzia could be every runner’s dream…
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