E-ROCK TEAM: ATHLETES' OPINIONS | Lara Birolini

A MOTHER ON THE PODIUM

A running enthusiast from a young age and with a fixed goal of the GTO, Lara joined the e-Rock Team to prepare for the Gran Trail delle Orobie, in which she participated for the first time in 2017. Since then, she has never left the ElleErre team, with whom, in addition to training, she also shares deep friendships. A passion that, training after training, led her to the top step of the podium in the famous Monza-Resegone trail running race in 2019, being the first to ascend and descend the peak that divides the provinces of Bergamo and Lecco alongside her two teammates.

Initially a member of Runners Bergamo, Lara moved to the eRock team with the goal of preparing for the 70km GTO race from the heart of the Orobie Alps to the upper town. She knew it wouldn't be easy to train six days a week, averaging 85km a week while raising three children. However, thanks to her strong passion for this discipline and the motivation her team provides, she never gave up, and over time she even achieved excellent results: in 2019, along with her two other teammates, she won the 59th edition of the Monza-Resegone.
Now that her children are grown up and less dependent on her mother, Lara has more time for training, so much so that she has recently started practicing triathlon, taking part in a sprint for the first time in 2021. Despite this interlude, which Lara considers just a hobby for now, running remains the discipline she enjoys most and in which she also gets the best results. "Even though I compete just for fun, I experience running with a certain competitive spirit. It's not simply a competition with my opponent, but also a competition with myself, with time: I experience running as a competition against my own best time."

In addition to trail running, Lara also has a huge passion for the marathon, her absolute favorite distance. Her last marathon was in Milan, where she unfortunately failed to run under 3 hours, her goal, due to pain that struck halfway. "I'll definitely try again; marathons are the most important races for me. This year, my goal is to do a half marathon and beat my personal best."

Due to commitments, it's not always easy to train with all the teammates on the eRock team, but he always shares the post-workout session with them, where we have fun and celebrate everyone's results together.

Her favorite part of her sporting career is the quality work: sprinting and training for speed and power. As a trail running and marathon enthusiast, she can't help but appreciate the effort . "I know that if I want to do well, I have to 'pump out blood,' so specifically, my favorite part is the intense training sessions we do on the Saletti athletics track in Nembro." As for her favorite places to train, besides the Saletti athletics track, there's definitely the Val Seriana cycling path, where "I usually go early in the morning. I love it because I can run for many kilometers straight, undisturbed and surrounded by nature."

As for clothing, ROCK EXPERIENCE down jackets and half-down jackets are some of her favorite pieces to wear on colder days, so much so that she uses them not only for hiking but also for walks around the city with friends. For training, Lara loves Rock Experience thermal shirts, which help her maintain a good body temperature even on the coldest days of the year while staying dry thanks to the shirts' breathability. High-cut running shorts are also a must-have during her running sessions.
Keep training consistently as you always have, Lara, and you will see that you will achieve all the goals you set for yourself. Good luck!