International trail running brand Kailas FUGA and its FUGA Mountain Club community have launched a new Talent Team comprising five of Italy’s leading female runners.
The initiative from the brand, which specialises in high-quality technical equipment and professional trail gear, aims to dedicate more resources towards supporting women in trail running. The new squad consists of athletes Benedetta Broggi, Enrica Dematteis, Luisa Dematteis, Nicol Guidolin and Alice Minetti.
In May 2026, the runners gathered for the team’s inaugural training camp in San Pellegrino, Italy. The three-day event featured training sessions, physiotherapy, nutrition workshops and goal setting ahead of the 2026 season.
Luisa Dematteis and Enrica Dematteis are twins who balance elite training with their professions as nurses, often working 12-hour shifts. Luisa Dematteis secured first place at the Vibram Trail Mottarone 60km at the beginning of May 2026, while Enrica Dematteis placed third female in the 100km race at Istria 100 by UTMB. Both athletes favor technical ultra-distance events and are scheduled to compete at the UTMB 100M in Chamonix this August.
Nicol Guidolin will also contest the UTMB Finals 100M. She transitioned from mountain biking to mountain running at the start of the pandemic and secured third place at the World Masters Mountain Running Championships – Long Distance in 2025. One year after giving birth to her first child, she finished second at the Ultra Trail Vipava Valley 100km event.
Benedetta Broggi, a full-time doctor living near Milan, won the Skymarathon Sentiere 4 Luglio – Vertical. She is preparing for the Uphill race at the European Championships in Slovenia. Due to a lack of hilly terrain locally, she integrates uphill treadmill sessions into her schedule at the end of her medical working days to focus on vertical kilometer discipline.
Alice Minetti, who ranked ninth in the 2025 Golden Trail series, recently transitioned from teaching to become a full-time runner and coach. She currently coaches 100 athletes and coordinates four weekly training sessions for a local community of approximately 400 runners in conjunction with her local tourism board.
Pippa Ebel, Lead at FUGA Mountain Club in Europe, said “The Kailas FUGA Talent Team is an initiative very close to my heart. The five Italian women are incredibly inspiring role models, not just because they are brilliant athletes but because they manage to be so alongside being mothers, wives, doctors and nurses. They show what is possible with passion and dedication. I hope that they will encourage more women – runners or not – to find their own joy on the trails.”
The launch is part of a broader strategy by Kailas FUGA to increase its support for women’s trail running. The company has also signed partnerships with two all-female races organized by local event teams: the Dolomiti Women’s Trail, which took place on May 16, 2026, and the Swiss Canyon Women’s Trail, scheduled for September 11, 2026.
The FUGA Mountain Club was originally launched in China in 2018 and has grown into an international community of over 500 competitive runners. The club provides public service initiatives, including free training sessions and coach-led workshops.
In China, the club hosts the women-only Alice in Wondertrail race series annually and delivers more than 50 free workshops led by female coaches. The organisation aims to increase financial support for female athletes and partner with event organizers to establish inclusive racing environments.
