text & photography Derek Clark
Muscles stretched and compressed as man-made sole pounded man-made surface under an italian sky, fading from blue to black. As the sun fell, the heart rates rose in the Moonlight Half Marathon. Over 2500 runners took part in the stamina testing event that started at 7:45pm on May 12th 2012 from Punta Sabbioni in Cavallino Treporti, near Venice.
There was a party atmosphere along the route, which made it’s way through the long flat streets in the beach resort of Jesolo, beside the Mediterranean Sea. Earlier in the day cars and motorcycles were towed away by police, making room for metal barriers. Bands played at the piazzas along the way and onlookers cheered-on the runners, inspiring them to make it to the finish line at Piazza Mazzini.
But not everyone would make it through the 21.1 km race. For some, dehydration and exhaustion would take their toll.
For some, the end game would come much too soon.
