The view along the river foot path in Treviso, Italy.

A quick jaunt to Italy was in order to participate in the 16a Treviso Marathon 2019 on March 31, 2019.

The Ryanair flight to Venice Treviso on Saturday, March 30, 2019 only took an hour and a half. We opted to take a taxi to the hotel to gauge how long it would take us to get back to the airport the following day. The cab ride was less than 10 minutes and cost less than 10 euros.

Billeting was at the three-star Hotel Aurora right in the compound of the government hospital of Treviso. Not our usual level of accommodation but it was walking distance to the start and finish lines and also close to the airport. The cost was 60 euros per night including breakfast. The hotel was run by a friendly couple and the room was clean. Plus, plus all around!

We dropped off our bags at the hotel and took the shortcut at the back of the hospital to get to the race expo on Prato Fiera. The shortcut led into Villa Ninni Carisi, a local tourist attraction.

Italian goody bags are always generously filled. I got the race shirt, two drinks, one pack of pasta, a proprietary string bag, a sponge, and muscle scream.

On our way back, we looked for restaurants that were open so we can have an early dinner. No such luck. Restaurants on this side of Italy open for business at 6:00 PM.

We walked around to kill time and bought gelato at this shop. It looked like a popular hangout since there were lots of people young and old enjoying their gelato while seated outside.

Race day was crisp and clear. Breakfast was continental style. We walked to the race Prato Fiera to line up for the race.

The race started at 9:30 AM with a six hour time limit. They also had specific time limits for kilometer markers:

• 10 km by 11.00 – 1h 30 ‘
• 21.097 km by 12.30 – 3h 00 ‘
• 30 km by 1.40 pm – 4.30 hours
• 40 km by 3.00 pm – 5.30 hours
• arrival by 3.30 pm – 6.00 hours

The course was flat, traversing roads, trails, and river foot paths. The weather was fine at the start but it warmed up a lot by mid-race. I took the sponge in the goody bag to ensure I can wet my clothes to cool me down.

Aid stations had plenty of water, isotonic drinks, and bananas.

It became so hot that it slowed me down further. I was grateful to finish at 5:49:12.15.

Richard waited for me at the hotel, concerned that we would not make our flight. I ran all the way to the hotel where I changed shirts while he called for a taxi. The taxi promptly arrived to whisk us off to the airport with enough time to navigate the long security area and line up for boarding.