MILANO DEEJAY 10 - Race Report

By Iain McGougan

After securing ridiculously cheap return flights to Milano in October it was time to enter a season ending event in the Italian fashion capital. The DeeJay 10 is a race organized by a radio and TV station (Italian MTV) whose founder is a mad keen runner. The media involvement has allowed this event to gain in popularity very quickly and I was taken by surprise by the huge amount of people taking part in the 5 & 10k events,over forty thousand.

The routes begin from the piazza in front of the breath-taking Duomo, Milano’s spectacular cathedral, what a start line!!!! From there the route makes their way through the city centre streets and finish in the park at Sforza Castle also in the city centre.

The event is billed as being open to all ages and abilities and positively encourages new runners and this is reflected in the very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I was intrigued to discover that when you registered the day before that you were given your race t-shirt along with the race number. I found out that this because they want all participants to wear the t-shirt on race day. It was incredible to see thousands of people snaking their way through some very narrow streets all wearing the same t-shirts. The course is incredibly flat and would have the potential to be a very fast and possibly a PB course if it wasn’t for the vast number of people being funnelled through some very, very narrow streets.

The surface underfoot is also very unforgiving with large stone paving slabs intersected by tram lines so care has to be taken at certain points. This isn’t a massive problem over the short distance but I really wouldn’t fancy tackling the Milano marathon on this surface. If anyone fancys an end of season fling in nice warm conditions (25C) in an incredibly friendly atmosphere I would recommend Milano in October.

I was so taken with the welcome I received I intend on returning to the area next year to take part in the Arranbirra Trail race at Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley of the Italian Alps. This event has some very steep climbs but rewards you with spectacular views and oh nearly forgot regular stops to sample the local beer, honest it’s the views that I’m entering for. Two quotes I really like from the race organisers are “ trail running race where the clock is as important as sunglasses are for running at night. The Arracabirra… the only race in the world where you can warm up in a pub!”, my kinda event.