By Simone Bandini
We reached Roberto Leonardi, newly elected President of the historic sports team who – after over twenty years of direction by Luca Martinelli – has renewed his cadres and the Board of Directors. Let’s take stock of the current situation of the team and local running.
I had the honour and pleasure of serving in the ranks of the Marathon Club Città di Castello for several seasons. Many of my ‘street’ friends still ‘resist’ there, in a rare tension of ‘giving the best of oneself’ and ‘making a group’ that has always struck me.
Not only performance and results but, especially, dedication and perseverance, leaving no one ‘behind’ in this new extended family.
SIMONE BANDINI: Good morning, Roberto, is this always the spirit of the Marathon?
ROBERTO LEONARDI: Hi Simone, certainly, as already reiterated at the first dinner of greetings, we will commit ourselves with enthusiasm, team spirit, and the desire to renew ourselves without losing our identity. And the identity still gives us the opportunity to thank Luca Martinelli for the years of dedication, patience and work that have brought us here. The solid corporate base we have today is above all thanks to him.
S.B..: What does it mean and what does it entail to have taken the baton of a great president like Luca Martinelli?
R.L.: I have always respected Luca, and the fact that my teammates have indicated me as the ideal successor is undoubtedly an honour. It will not be an easy task, but I am sure that with the new Board we have created a good ‘team’ within the team.
S.B.: What are the new names and positions of the new Board of Directors?
R.L.: The new Council is undoubtedly female-driven, four out of seven. The Vice President is Francesca Boriosi, a long-time Marathon also and very present at the races, both in Umbria and outside the regional borders. The secretary is Stefano Vatini, who has been with us for two years, since his move to Città di Castello. He integrated right away, and in addition to the participation and ideas he brought, he is also a valid athlete. Treasurer is Ilaria Prosperi, who has also been with us for two years, but like Stefano it seems that she has always been there. After many months of stop due to a bad accident that occurred during a training, she is back on the road more combative than ever. The directors are Silvia Sensi, beyond the long militancy, she is probably the most ‘analytical’ and bureaucratically prepared part, Simone Cenciarini, tireless marathon runner and great enthusiasm for any corporate activity, and Michela Dolciami, tenacious and “square”, with us since 2017, proposed herself for this position with grit and a sense of duty.
S.B.: What will be the philosophy of your new presidency? What are the main stimuli and objectives?
R.L.: 2026 will be an important year: in fact, the Club’s 25th anniversary falls. Personally, I see it as an opportunity to increase (because there has never been a lack) activities: such as collective training, group trips, in short, convivial situations that bring back enthusiasm and desire to participate. Unfortunately, the Covid emergency has had an impact that in my opinion the whole movement is still paying for, and I take this opportunity to thank the Board of Directors who have dealt with it. Seeing a Club alive and active will probably attract new friends who are curious to share these experiences with us.
S.B.: Let’s talk about the races on the calendar, which are the ‘historic’ ones and what are the new ones?
R.L.: As a company we will organize the 3rd edition of the “CorriCastello” in September, an excellent opportunity to work together and create a greater bond. We have published a program with the various competitions in Italy where some of our athletes will be present – which could be ideas for club trips. We are working, through an ‘Events’ group, to relaunch some nice foreign trips, as well as participation in our classics, such as the ‘Collemar-athon’.
S.B.: Outside of the official competitions, have there been informal appointments such as the legendary Sunday morning meeting at the Hotel Park Ge.Al? Are there any new ideas? I noticed a nice tour of the city walls…
R.L.: The Park remains as always the ‘home’ of the Marathon, thanks to the Giorgi family who hosts us on Sundays for the training you mentioned, as well as for meetings or anything related to the Marathon. The tour of the walls is part of the ‘ValtibeRun’ project, an idea born from a group of friends belonging to different clubs. It started this summer with the intention of bringing people closer to running or bringing back those who had perhaps detached themselves from it. The formula is simple: every Wednesday at 19:00 in Piazza de Sotto (Gabriotti), you start and finish together, no one is left behind. And perhaps it also works because it has this very ‘free’ management, without any obligation, a spontaneous movement, which obviously at the beginning needed a push.
S.B.: Is local running a movement that is still growing? What can you tell us and what is new or that you would like to intercept?
R.L.: Looking at the ValtibeRun reality, I think so: I think that at least fifty of the guys we run with on Wednesdays participated in the non-competitive CorriCastello 2025. Participating in many competitions, including foreign ones, I notice more and more young people and less exasperation. I think it is the mirror of a way of experiencing the race in a different way than in past years.
S.B.: One last question to my friend/runner who, perhaps not everyone knows, is also an appreciated author. In short, everyone is wondering: are you writing a new book about running?
R.L.: Yes! And it is coming out soon: ‘Those lost days chasing the wind’. I steal this sentence from De Andrè to give the title to a volume that, as the publisher says, is difficult to classify. We are talking about running, yes, but under a more introspective aspect. I kept a personal diary as I approached the Athens Marathon, chosen to celebrate my 50th birthday. Living the ‘Race’ as a religion – for me it was the only possible place. Once this was done, however, I felt that something was missing to tell both the experience and the approach. So I went on with the diary… In the meantime I got married to Giulia, and we chose the Tromso Marathon as our honeymoon. Running at midnight with the light had already been an incredible experience, but running two days later at the North Cape gave me the awareness that I had reached the true epilogue of this road and interior ‘journey’.
Info: www.marathonclubcdc.it / Roberto Leonardi: Tel. 328 1415725
