In Versilia there is a place that is called "Little Athens" for its marked artistic inclination linked to the working of marble and bronze. There are numerous works of art that adorn the streets of Pietrasanta, which give the visitor the evocative impression of walking in an open-air museum.
But not only! For over ten years the city has also attracted many CrossFitters and fitness lovers, thanks to an extraordinary competition to say the least: let's talk about the Pietrasanta Beach Throwdown.
Ad April 2023, on the shore of Marina di Pietrasanta, more than three hundred athletes will battle it out to win the 11th edition of the Tuscan competition par excellence.
A few days after the opening of registrations and less than a month after the release of the qualifications, we are managed to have an exclusive interview with the organizers.
We will tell you everything in this one beautiful chat with Nicola Ercolini and lacopo Di Ronza.
Pietrasanta Beach Throwdown: technical info
Event name: Pietrasanta Beach Throwdown
Social page: @pietrasantabeachthrowdown
Timeline
Registration opening: 1 December 2022
Registration deadline: 22 January 2023
Qualifying workout output: 14 January 2023 hours 12: 00
Qualifying workout score upload deadline: 22 January 2023 hours 12: 00
What categories can enter?
⦁ Elite (MF)
⦁ Regular (MF)
⦁ Masters 35, 40, 45 and 50 (MF)
⦁ Experience (MF)
⦁ Teens 14/17 (MF)
When and where will the live be? The live will take place on April 22nd and 23rd in Marina di Pietrasanta, in the province of Lucca.
How many registered athletes go live? 372 athletes will access the live show
How to register? To sign up, just go to Judge Rules site. within the indicated deadlines and pay the registration fee.
Prices? In the first week you can enroll at the starting price of €30, after which the prices will be:
- Regular €35
- Last Call €40
- Live registration (if qualified) €70
Who are the partners and sponsors? As main sponsor Assicurazioni Generali.
The partner providing the tender platform is, of course, Judge Rules; as far as the material that is used in the race is Kings Box and for Ecoplus flooring.
As far as the judges team it comes to Project Judges by Luca Morassutto.
A chat with Nicola and Iacopo: the organizers of the Pietrasanta Beach Throwdown
Hi guys, in the meantime: thanks! Let us tell you that you are two wonderful people. We know that your race needs no introduction, but can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the words! As you said, we are Nicola Ercolini and lacopo Di Ronza, the creators of Pietrasanta.
I'll start: I am Nicola, class 77 and in the CF I am a master 45 athlete. I chose to do this job at the age of 17 inspired by my Physical Education teacher.
After high school, I enrolled in the lSEF and finished it in 2002; after some improvement courses, in october 2003, i decided to open my own gym, which i still manage today.
Over the years I have continued to study and grow professionally. Today, in addition to managing the gym, being a Personal Trainer and a CrossFit® instructor, I also take care of Judge Rules platform….but that's another story!
Instead I am Iacopo, born in 87, I was born as a footballer, I played professionally up to C1 and Serie D.
I stopped early due to a accident to my hips, which, alas, has altered my ability to continue with my football career.
However, this was the spark that made me decide to study Sport Sciences and embark on a course of study on everything related to physical health, with the aim of improving people's well-being at 360 degrees.
I discovered CrossFit® in 2009/2010 and I started practicing it in Maurizio Maddaloni's courses at the Crossgym in Milan, together with the first Italian guys who discovered this fantastic training methodology.
In 2013, together with Nicola we founded CrossFit® Pietrasanta, one of the first CrossFit® boxes in Italy, which we then expanded 2 times: in 2015 and 2021 until we got to what we are today.
And how did the idea of creating the Pietrasanta Beach Throwdown competition come about?
The Pietrasanta Beach Throwdown idea was born from the desire to have a small competition in 2013, for the guys in our box.
However, we wanted to take advantage of the wonder of our landscape and above all of our beach, so we brought our material to the seashore and we also invited the closest garages such as Lucca by Roberto Ligato and Livorno by Paolo Cristofani.
We managed to spend a wonderful day all together… year after year we always wanted to improve… and here we are, at the 11th edition!
Who are the winners of last season, the beautiful decennial?
I last year's winners in the Elite category they are: Augusto Gesso and Eleonora Verrascina
For the master we have:
Masters 35: Francesco Di Mauro and Valentina Leonardi
Master 40: Andrea Di Salvatore and Francesca Seminara
Masters 45: Alessandro Guerzoni
Masters 50: Cesare Ghio and Paola Pialorsi
In Regular category won: Silvia De Bastiani and Cristian Teaca
How to experience Gaia Merli and Stefano Pesci
In your opinion, what is your differentiating element? Why are so many athletes signing up for your race?
Our differentiating element compared to all other races is the sand. Many of the wods we do are done entirely on the arena… from running to barbell exercises!
This makes our race a unique experience since paddling on the sand is completely different than paddling in the box. Then, doing it in front of the sea makes everything beautiful!
Another peculiarity that we really care about is the atmosphere we breathe. Ours wants to be a totally inclusive race, where the community must always be the host.
We want people to leave happy and smiling at the end of the two days. This pays off more than any sacrifice and hard work of the previous months.
Is Pietrasanta a race that participates in the AFFI race circuit?
Yes, our race is part of the AFFI circuit racing calendar. This means that the podium of the Elite category will be invited to take part in the Functional Fitness World Championships. And not only!
The first place in the Age Division categories will also be contacted to take part!
Let's touch a sore spot: jackpots… How do you organize yourself in this sense?
As for the prizes, all categories are recognized.
The cash price varies according to the sponsors we manage to involve: whether they are prizes in material, supplements or money!
We thank Nicola and Iacopo so much for the time dedicated to us and we will meet on the beach of Marina di Pietrasanta on April 22nd and 23rd 😉