World's Top Trail Runners Take On New Course Through Cortina's Nine Olympic Venues

Five months after the Olympic flame was extinguished in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the venerable Italian Dolomites ski resort celebrated its Olympic heritage by hosting the inaugural Cortina 56-26 Legacy trail races.

Nearly 300 competitors vigorously ascended and descended the Ampezzo valley’s scenic trails, woodlands, and ridges, while taking in panoramic vistas of a place that has been home to memorable winter sports competitions over many decades, highlighted by Cortina’s 1956 and more recent 2026 Olympic Winter Games. 

Two grueling races (M&F) were organized to honor the Olympic legacy—across distances of 56km and 26km—as athletes ascended 2800 vertical meters (and descended 2900m), while traversing past nine of Cortina’s iconic Olympic venues. The races, held on Saturday, July 25, 2026, started in the town’s central Dibona Piazza and concluded below the historic 1956 Olympic ski jump in the village of Zuel, just outside the resort’s center.

Despite being temporarily slowed by an uncooperative herd of horses, Treviso, Italy’s Luca Fabris claimed victory in the men’s 56km race. He clocked a winning time of five hours, 38 minutes, and 16 seconds. 

“I’m very happy to win here on this course in one of the most beautiful places in this country,” Fabris told POWDER. “I was satisfied with my time, but in the first section, there was this big group of horses blocking the track, so it was difficult to pass. I had to wait about two minutes. It was unexpected and funny.”

Nicol Guidonlin of Trieste, an Italian coastal city adjacent to the Slovenian border, won the women’s 56km race in six hours, 34 minutes, and 56 seconds.

“The track was prepared very nice, as you climb these mountains, reaching the summits, it felt so amazing,” Guidolin said. “When you reach the summit (near Pomedes mountain hut), you can’t help but think about the ski racers going down so fast. It’s just crazy.”

Competitors journeyed through three 2026 Olympic venues en route to the finish: Cortina’s Olympic Ice Stadium, the Eugenio Monti Olympic Bobsleigh Track, and the Olympia delle Tofane downhill course, not far from where Lindsey Vonn infamously crashed. Six additional 1956 Olympic legacy venues, notably the finish area below the historic ski jump, which remains under repair, were strategically incorporated along the 56km route.

Cortina became the fourth resort to host the Winter Olympics twice this past February, joining Lake Placid, Innsbruck, and St. Moritz. The Cortina 56-26 Legacy race’s slogan: Don’t Just Run a Trail. Run at the Center of Olympic Legend.

Heartwarming Stories of Cortina 56-26 

One local competitor truly embodying Cortina’s Olympic spirit was 24-year-old Giacomo Colli. Colli, an aspiring Italian Olympic curler who narrowly missed qualifying for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Games, ran motivated by his 94-year-old grandfather Bruno, who carried the Olympic flame before Cortina’s 1956 Olympics, and courageously also for the 2026 edition, in early February.

Colli finished third, along with partner Francesco Gaspari, in the 26km team race.

“This was 100% tougher than curling and the effort needed was much harder, but the relay format worked well for Francesco and I,” Colli said with a laugh, answering a hardline question from POWDER. 

“It was amazing running through the Olympic Ice Stadium, past the bobsleigh track and across the Tofane downhill course – while you’re running, you can’t help but think about all the great Olympians who competed here five months ago,” Colli said.

Trail runners from approximately ten countries participated, but Fondazione Cortina organizers are optimistic about growing the themed race, sponsored by Karpos outdoor gear, in the future.

Slovenian Ajda Bajec relished both the challenge of the race and her first visit to Cortina.

“It was a beautiful race with nice weather, but for me it was difficult running down the ski slopes on the slippery little rocks,” Bajec said. “It was quite an experience knowing what happened here in February.”

One of many heartwarming moments was seeing 62-year-old Carlo Marchesi cross the finish line side-by-side with his young shepherd Flap, the duo having navigated the final sections of the course as a cohesive team. Earlier in the race, Marchesi fell while descending, but persevered, despite a slightly bloodied face.

“It was a day filled with fantastic emotions, Flap and I ran together up and down from Duca d’Aosta to Pomedes (mountain huts) and then here to the finish,” Marchesi noted. “He also comes with me for ski mountaineering and has always been a very strong dog.”

An Olympic-sized Effort

Fondazione Cortina race director Antonio Turati was satisfied with the outcome of the races, as seen by the smiles on many competitors’ faces, naturally, only after crossing the finish line, and celebratory beers afterward. He admitted that the nerves of organizing the complex race under a tight deadline led to a final night with just 30 minutes of sleep.

“We organized the race in about two and a half months, and started from zero, so it was difficult figuring out everything,” Turati, an accomplished trail runner himself, tells POWDER.

“The most challenging part was finding the perfect route to bring the athletes across all of the Olympic venues. Managing all the geography and quality of the terrain was not easy.”

Turati also addressed the bigger picture and the importance of growing Cortina’s rich sporting heritage.

“It has been a pleasure hosting two Olympic Games here – you can say what you want about Cortina, but this is one of the most beautiful places in the Alps; the Dolomites are some of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

“We have a story that we need to continue to tell. We have lots more ideas for the future, and we want to continue to bring people to our venues.

“It’s an amazing place here with amazing people – when you have a good team, anything is possible. We are very proud of what we’ve done.”

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