Verbano Challenge is one of the biggest agility competitions in Italy, and this year it became a deeply meaningful experience for me.

I decided to enter for two reasons. The first was practical: Tiger and I needed exposure to fast lines before AWC. Controlling his rocket speed in fast sequences is our biggest challenge, and with this year’s judges’ lineup, I knew we’d get plenty of opportunities to work exactly on that.

But the second reason was far more personal. I hoped to see Mara Franzoni, the wife of one of the organisers, Beppe Pacifico, again. Mara had been fighting cancer for many years, and I had the privilege of meeting her almost every year. She was a woman with the most beautiful smile, the deepest blue eyes that reflected her kind soul, and an endless love for animals. She and her husband Beppe organised many of my seminars when I was just starting to teach agility full‑time – they gave me an opportunity long before others did. Seeing her again was the true reason I entered.

We were accepted into the competition at the very last moment, but sadly, Mara passed away just a week before the event.

The organisers, however, honoured her in “Mara style” – with strength, dedication, and heart. They didn’t quit, they didn’t stop fighting, and they delivered a perfectly organised event. The opening ceremony in her memory reminded me that we are here now, and that now is the only moment we truly get to experience.

There is also a fundraiser in Mara’s honour. You can contribute via PayPal by sending any amount to inricordodimara@gmail.com. All donations will be given to the oncology department of the Varese hospital.

I always give my best in every run, but this time it felt different. It’s easy to say “enjoy every run as if it were your last” when everything goes well 😛 But during this competition, I found great joy even in the imperfect runs – the ones that taught me something, the ones that gave me an opportunity to learn. Not everyone gets that opportunity.

Thank you, Mara, for the impact you had. You will live in our memory and hearts forever. <3 

Here is a collection of our runs – from the winning final run to the ones that weren’t perfect, but still offered valuable lessons in handling and decision‑making. And I truly enjoyed every single one of them.