Angela Gargano ist am 10.09.2020 in Policoro Lido (Italien) ihren 1000. Marathon gelaufen und erreicht damit 4 Tage nach Christine als achte Frau weltweit und als vierte Frau in unserem Club die 1000er Marke. Eigentlich war der 1000. Marathon schon am 3.5. in der Heimatstadt Barletta stattfinden, gemeinsam mit dem 1000. Marathon ihres Ehemannes Michele Rizzitelli. Durch Corona und eine Verletzung von ihm kam es nun alles ein bisschen anders.

Angela Gargano did run her 1000th marathon on September 10th, 2020 in Policoro Lido (Italy) and thus reached the 1000 mark four days after Christine as the eighth woman worldwide and the fourth woman in our club. Originally the 1000th marathon was supposed to take place on May 3rd in her home town Barletta and together with the 1000th marathon of her husband Michele Rizzitelli. Due to Corona and an injury of her husband everything turned out a little bit different. 

Here are some background information about Angela's impressive running past.

Angela was born in Barletta (Puglia).
She started running in 1991 during the Christmas Holidays in the tourist village “Les Paletuviers” in the Ivory Coast. Two months later she partecipated in the Rome/Ostia Half Marathon.
She ran her first marathon in Acquaviva delle Fonti (BA)-Puglia on October 30, 1994.
Seven days later she took part in the New York Marathon.
In the 1998 she parteciped in the Desert Marathon in Libya, race of 120 km. Over this year she runs 28 marathons, setting the Italy women record.
In the 1999 she parteciped in the Marathon des Sables.
In the 2002 she completed 100 marathons and her name was listed in the Guinness World Record (GWR). In Cranendonck (Netherlands), she runs 10 consecutive marathons, being ranked first 9 times and winning the final ranking. She runs several times in Volksdorf, reaching 200 marathons, becoming the first woman in Italy (record that she still hold). She becomes member of the 100 Marathon Club Deutschland.
In 2003 she won the 24 Hours of Statte (TA) - Puglia
In the 2004 in the morning she runs the Marathon in Pisa; in the afternoon the one in Rimini. She wins again the 24 Hours of Statte.
In the 2008 she parteciped in the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race, Nove Colli Running of 202,400 km, and she won the 24 Hours of Termini Imerese (Sicily) with 173,700 km, personal record on the distance, (she won all four editions).
In the 2009 wins the Massignano Marathon (Marche), Scandiano Marathon (Emilia Romagna), Prato - Bocca di Rio (Toscana) and 100 km of Sicily, and partecipes in the Baltic Run, race of 335 km. She estabilishes her best time in the 100 km degli Etruschi (Lazio): 11:36:38
In the 2010 in the 6 Jours d’Antibes (France) she sets the best female Italian performance with 562,330 km. She estabilishes her best marathon time: 4:04:06 in Maratona sul Brembo (Lombardia).
On 20 February 2011 she runs her 500th marathon in Terni (Umbria). She wins the 12 Hours in Belgrade. In Athens she runs 826 km in 10 days: the best distance performed by an Italian woman.

In the 2018 she runs 122 marathons/ultramarathons and estabilishes the most number of races completed by a woman in one year in Italy. At MSC Rogner Marathon 10 Tagen – Bad Blumau (Austria) she wins the final female ranking. In Rieti over 12 days she runs 12 marathons, winning the final female ranking. In the Ruffini Park in Turin she runs 23 consecutive races of 44,204 km.

Some questions to Angela Gargano

Q. Did you complete all these races by yourself, without any support?
A. A lonely woman, although emancipated, couldn’t face a such extraordinary experience, venturing into unknown and dangerous sites. I ran with my own legs, but I always had my husband by my side; he ran together with me. To reach 1000 marathons I took advantage of some injuries occurred to him; so far he still lacks 14.

Q. Why do you commit yourself in this way and to so much suffering?
A. The effort is great, but so is happiness when you cut the finish line.  Isn’thappiness the purpose of life? However, I find exciting to wander around the world.

Q. How were you able to do so many races?  Do you work little?
A. Not at all! Every Mondays, after the Sunday marathon, I was tirelessly at my workplace. Sometimes I had to go to work after travelling all night by train. I do not have a government job, but a very hard and responsible one.

Q. Apart from the athletic effort, what other difficulties have you encountered?
A. The transfers, being Barletta a decentralized city.

Q. Consuming so much energy, will you have observed a particular diet?
A. None. No use of supplements.

Q. The most beautiful marathon?
A. Marathons in European capitals are the most beautiful. The choice is difficult.

Q. The strangest one?
A. The Greenwich Foot Tunnel Centenary Marathon. It took place in a narrow tunnel, 364 m long, under the Thames, which becomes 728 m roundtrip, to be repeated twice.

Q. In how many countries have you run marathons?
A. In many, on all five continents.

Q. In which country did you run the most marathons?
A. Certanly in Italy, but Hamburg is the city where I’ve raced the most.

Dear Angela, the 100 Marathon Club congratulates you on this special achivement and wishes you many more runs.
Cara Angela, il club desidera congratularsi con te per questo risultato speciale e augurarti tante altre belle corse.