The Race I Didn’t Run
Running, photography and the freedom to explore Matera on my own terms.
Sometimes I sign up for a race because I want to run. Sometimes I realise that what I really
want is to discover a place. The two can go together, but they are not quite the same thing.
I have spent years travelling with a camera, looking for landscapes, movement and the small
moments that make a journey worth remembering. For this trip to southern Italy, I initially
decided to do something different: leave the camera aside and enter a trail race myself. I
signed up for the 50 km distance at Puglia by UTMB.
Arriving in Matera
I reached Matera shortly after sunset. The old city, the Sassi, was already lit up, and its narrow
streets were full of people. There were places to eat, voices coming from doorways, and that
particular evening energy you find in a town where people are still out walking long after dark.
I had come for a race, but the city was already asking to be explored. The next day, rather than
think only about kilometres and a finish line, I wanted to see where those streets led.
A race through a remarkable landscape
The course was a demanding one. Around Matera, runners would move between old streets,
stone paths and the rugged landscape beyond the town. It was not a route designed simply to
get from start to finish. It passed through a place with its own history and character.
Puglia by UTMB takes place towards the end of the tourist season. Restaurants and
accommodation are still operating, while the atmosphere is different from the height of
summer. For visitors and runners alike, that timing gives the event a character of its own.
At the start, there was the familiar mix of nervousness and excitement. More than 230 runners
were gathered for the race. I watched people prepare their equipment, check their watches
and get ready to head out through the streets of Matera.
Why I chose not to race
I had registered for the 50 km distance, but I decided not to run it. It was not because of an
injury. I simply understood, once again, what I enjoy most.
I love running, but I do not need a race to enjoy it. I prefer to run to explore: to turn down an
unfamiliar path, stop when something catches my eye, look around and continue without
worrying about a result. And when I travel, photography is a big part of that experience.
So I picked up my camera. Instead of following the course as a competitor, I followed the event
as an observer, moving through the city and looking for the moments that tell a story: runners
passing through the old streets, faces at the start, the atmosphere around the course and the
people who make a race possible.
A different way to take part
Being outside the race did not mean being outside the experience. It gave me time to notice
details I might otherwise have missed. Matera was more than a backdrop for the runners; it
was part of the story.
I returned to the finish area and spent time watching people come in. There were
conversations, congratulations and the relaxed atmosphere that follows a long day outdoors. I
stayed for the awards and the closing moments of the event.
The women’s 145 km race was won by Simone Zacccone, according to my notes from the
event. I remember the sense of occasion around the finish more than any particular result:
tired runners, friends waiting, and a city that had made room for all of them.
The race I didn’t run
I came to Matera with a race entry. I left with photographs, impressions and a stronger sense of
why I travel in the first place.
I still love to run. I just enjoy it most when the run is a way of discovering somewhere new. A
camera and a pair of running shoes are not competing interests for me. They are two ways of
paying attention.
Puglia by UTMB has the setting, the atmosphere and the potential to grow into an important
event. I am glad I went, even if my experience was different from the one I originally planned.
Sometimes the best part of a race is the journey you choose to make around it.
