How It All Began
By Monika Moling
Italian National 24-Hour Team
The first time I came into contact with ultrarunning was in Basel, Switzerland, some years ago. I was one of many spectators at a 12- and 24-hour race organized by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, the sports club I later joined. Needless to say, I was astonished to witness the impossible becoming real.
Not only were the athletes running for such a long time that it seemed like an eternity to me, but every age was represented, from youngest to oldest, and every type of body, from thin and athletic to stronger and heavier. I was so impressed and inspired that I also wanted to try.
First I ran a 12-hour race and nearly completed 100 km. I could hardly believe what can be accomplished if you only dare to try. As a member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, I began reading about the philosophy of self-transcendence: going beyond your limitations and increasingly becoming yourself through concentration and awareness while running.
So I took the next step to a 24-hour race. My first was in Bobingen, Germany. I did not run so many kilometres — about 130 — but enjoyed the fantastic feeling of being a little hero. The organizers and spectators made me feel that way simply because I had the courage to say yes to the start and put one foot after the other. I took my time to honour the delicious food we were given and even spoiled my legs with wonderful massages.
I can sincerely say that my birth in ultrarunning was “spoiled” by the courtesy, cheering support and good race organization. I also felt an incredible unity among everyone involved. What would runners be without the help of supporters, cooks, doctors and organizers?
Oneness, harmony and affection also carried me through my first six-day race in New York in 2002, where I was the first Italian woman to participate in such a multiday event, as I discovered later. I was still running only with the curiosity to experience the so-called impossible and the longing to meet my own inner determination and surrender, as well as my doubts and insecurity.
I ran my second 24-hour race in Basel, Switzerland. I always want to run Basel when I have the chance because I truly love the course and atmosphere. I finished with 169 km as the third woman. What satisfaction there was in winning a medal. Your effort is crowned by moments of glory. Even though the experience is fleeting, it gives you new inspiration and courage to continue and improve.
After that race in Basel, I received a surprising telephone call. At first I could not believe my ears. The manager of the Italian national 24-hour road-running team had found my number after a team member saw me running in Basel and suggested my name. I was told that I might be invited to the next European and world ultrarunning championships. So, in 2003, I became an official member of the Italian national team.
A particularly wonderful moment came when the postman delivered a big suitcase in the blue Italian national colours, with ITALIA written on both sides. It was filled with team clothing bearing the same name: jackets, T-shirts, singlets and trousers. A friend said it looked like a real trousseau. I could hardly contain my emotions. I cannot say a dream was coming true because, sincerely, I had never imagined such an experience.
On the way to the Netherlands with the national team for the 2003 24-hour road-running European and world championships, we received a small booklet about the Italian teams' previous appearances. The first page was truly thrilling to me. It explained the importance and honour of representing your country at a world championship: the runner competes first for their nation, then for the team and only thirdly for themselves.
The idea of representing Italy and the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team — to which I owe all my inspiration to run — and of running among the world's best athletes in this discipline inspired me so deeply that I improved my personal best from 169 to 192 km. I was extremely happy and satisfied. My result was still far from the best woman's performance, but I had transcended myself and became the second-ranked Italian woman. We also celebrated a new Italian men's record.
In the Netherlands, conditions were perfect for our undertaking: sunshine during the day, a beautiful starlit sky at night, a flat course and an enthusiastic public. I thought it would always be that good, but sometimes it is simply the beginner's good luck.
In 2004, we went to the Czech Republic for the European and world championships. There was perfect organization, excellent food and a warm audience, but also a hilly course — when you are on the road for 24 hours, you begin to feel every centimetre up and down — and foggy weather. It was not easy, but the most rewarding experience came with the bronze medal for the Italian women's team: Italy's first medal in this discipline, accompanied by a new Italian women's record for my dear teammate.
By then, we felt like a large family within the team. We loved meeting at races and cheering for one another. Sometimes we phoned and wrote to stay in contact and keep each other inspired.
Austria in 2005 was also challenging, with more rises and falls in the course and rain during the night. The Italian men's team enjoyed a new Italian record, a world-championship bronze medal and a European-championship silver medal. It was a real celebration for all of us.
My own result? Unfortunately, I had to stop after 19 hours because I did not feel well. Every race is different and offers different challenges. You never know in advance what you will experience, outwardly through the messages from your body or inwardly through the tests and battles that arise while your mind invents many reasons to give up.
When I decided to stop, I felt calm about it. As an athlete, I know that success and failure are part of sport and of life. Happiness for my teammates made me forget my own race, but I must admit that it was quite difficult to accept my defeat afterward.
Ultrarunning is like a good school for life. Success and failure are two sides of the same medal. One is certainly easier to accept than the other, but both are part of it.
At this particular moment, I wholeheartedly thank my friends from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, the Italian national team and my family, because they never stopped believing in and supporting me.
The next championship is approaching. Although I still feel fear after last year's experience, my friends and, most of all, Sri Chinmoy, the founder of my sports club, are encouraging me. The 2006 world championship will be in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 25–26.
A new challenge and a new story.