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Sometimes people ask me why I call myself Lumacagabi — after all, I’m not that slow … (for explanation: lumaca means “snail” in Italian).
Well, as a bikepacker I always carry my whole household with me, just like a snail carries its home on its back … and being born in 1962, I think I’m allowed to take things a bit slower these days.
How did it all actually begin? Hmm … good question.
Sports were always part of my life until I was about 30, but without any particular ambition. Ski touring, hiking, mountain climbs, and the occasional 20-minute jog — and I already felt quite accomplished.
Then came the children. My fear of really “letting myself go” pushed me to move a bit more regularly.
Whenever I managed to snatch a free moment, I’d go for a short run. To get the most out of my very limited training time, I’d simply run uphill.
When the kids joined sports clubs, my first race eventually followed — just so I wouldn’t have to stand around while accompanying them. Local fun runs. And to my surprise, I wasn’t bad at all — without much effort or training, I almost always made it onto the podium. (😊 Well, there usually weren’t that many women competing anyway!)
But short runs became boring after a while. A new challenge started brewing in my mind: the marathon. Finishing one seemed impossible at first. I didn’t dare register until I was sure I could handle the distance. One free morning, I mapped out a route: along the riverbank and back — four times — 42 km total. With a small drink stash under the bridge, I ran back and forth for about four hours. Then I signed up for the Bolzano Marathon. (Finish time: 3:33h.)
After that came the first mountain runs — which were a lot of fun, too.
Then came the 100-km Passatore ultramarathon — a truly painful experience. Three weeks before the race, I developed tendonitis in my knee during a training run from Brixen to Sterzing and back. Three weeks of rest, then race day — I had already paid the entry fee, and I could always drop out if it got too bad. Things went fine until Fiesole — then the knee pain started. What to do? I just kept running … and I made it, after 12 hours and 20 minutes. The last 50 downhill kilometers were brutal, though.
Luckily, the following days in Riccione with my family gave me time to recover. Weeks later, I found out I had finished second among women in the Italian 100-km championship!
During the mountain races, I met Martina Juda, who told me about her participation in the UTMB — Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc — from Chamonix to Courmayeur and back, around the whole Mont Blanc massif, 160 km with 9,000 meters of elevation gain. I couldn’t get it out of my head — that had to be my next goal!
After a “test run” with Christian and Christoph — the Pfunderer Höhenweg nonstop in 21 hours — the three of us signed up. It turned out to be an incredible experience: two nights without sleep, crossing the finish line after 43 hours — unbelievable.
I took part twice more, though I didn’t finish again — but later did the CCC (half the distance) with Hermann.
In 2004, during a week at Alpine Club huts with the kids, I met Monica Coppello, who had just finished the Ironman Frankfurt a few days earlier. Ironman? Triathlon? What was that? It sounded fascinating — and I thought, that could be something for me!
But 3,800 meters of swimming? Me? No way …
Monica gave me tips on how to learn freestyle, since I was only a breaststroker. I practiced and practiced — and by Christmas I could swim 3,000 meters nonstop! I even managed to get a start slot at Ironman Austria at Lake Wörthersee. I bought a book called “Ironman in 8 Hours” — no, not the finish time, but the weekly training time for people who don’t have that much spare time. So I trained moderately.
I loved this sport from the start — it was so varied, since you train different disciplines evenly. Still, I didn’t dare imagine what it would feel like to get off the bike after 180 km and still have to run a marathon … During training, after long rides, I never felt like running!
My first Ironman was an amazing new experience. Hermann, who spent the entire day out on the course, was thrilled by the atmosphere. Two years later, he was on the start list for Ironman Klagenfurt — but a bike crash three weeks before the race broke his shoulder blade. The following year he was able to start at Challenge Roth and finished. I’m really proud of that achievement — he never had much training time and had never swum more than 2,000 meters before. Bravo!
As I write this, the TV is on in the background … Markus Lanz is presenting Menschen 2015.
Harriette Thomson tells her story: at 76 she ran her first marathon, and recently, at 92, she ran her 16th — together with her son. Maybe my son will get sporty too one day … what a joy that would be! Then I’d still be running with him at over 90 …
“Iron Sister” Madonna Buder, born in 1930, started her Ironman career at 48 and finished Ironman Florida in 2014 — at age 84! Hats off to both these women.
Since around 2012, Hermann and I have found a sport we both enjoy together: cycling. Over time, the distances have gotten longer and longer. It all started with Paris–Brest–Paris. When I reached the finish, I told myself, “Done — but never, ever again!”
Of course, that didn’t last long … More events followed, all over 1,000 km: 1001 Miglia (1,600 km), LEL – London–Edinburgh–London, MGM – Madrid–Gijón–Madrid, Alpi 4000, Two editions of the Three Peaks Bike Race (Vienna–Barcelona and Vienna–Nice), and then the highlight: NorthCape4000 — 4,700 km from Rovereto (near Lake Garda) to the North Cape.
The toughest event I’ve ever finished was GBDuro 2022.
In my 2023 sabbatical year, I added several wonderful adventures: AMR, GranGuanche Gravel, TBR, and BTG.
In 2024, the main adventures were the PanCeltic Ultra, Lakes’n’Knödel, and Alps Divide — the last one was my first DNF (read on the website to find out why …).
Now it’s 2025, and Hermann and I have just returned from the Silk Road Mountain Race, which had a rather dreadful ending. In February I rode solo at Race Around Rwanda, and in June I did Taunus Bikepacking.
And now I’m curious to see what 2026 will bring … We’re not ready to be stopped yet!
You’ll find a report and video for each event on the homepage (see the menu).
Enjoy browsing the site!
LumacaGabi