Office hour runs

Mayor offers office hour runs

Luciano Bergonese (2nd from right) during consultation hours with his citizens

(Bild: Facebook/Luciano Fregonese)

An Italian mayor has put on 50 kilograms during his time in office. To lose weight, he now offers office hour runs every Thursday. The offer has been well received by the citizens of Valdobbiadene.

More than 200 people have now joined his weekly runs through the hilly area. They pass vineyards and the central Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, among other places. "It's good to meet people outside. So many people come to cheer me on, to give me the will to keep going, because I honestly couldn't do it on my own," says Mayor Luciano Fregonese.

Overweight because of commitments?
Fregonese weighs around 140 kilograms. The 47-year-old puts his excess weight down to his "social commitments". He is out and about from early in the morning until late at night for appointments and meetings with the citizens of his municipality. As a result, he doesn't have the time to exercise. He also likes to eat irregularly, often indulging shortly before midnight.

This is what an outdoor citizens' consultation looks like:

A friend of Fregonese's came up with the idea of going for a run together with members of the public. "About a month ago, a friend said: 'Let's go for a run today'," he says. He said no, as he had his office hours at the same time. "Then my friend said: 'Why don't we do both together? Tell the citizens to go running with you'."

I don't know if I've lost weight yet, but I feel better - physically and mentally.

Bürgermeister Luciano Fregonese

Encouraging citizens
Without further ado, he drummed up 45 citizens for his first run. More and more came every week, and two weeks ago there were already 200. Fregonese not only wants to lose weight, but also to encourage people to exercise and look after their health. According to a recent report, 47.6 percent of adults in Italy are overweight. "You have to understand that it's not healthy and you have to do something," says the mayor.

"I don't know if I've lost weight yet, but I feel better - physically and mentally. And that's the most important thing for me." Valdobbiadene has around 10,000 inhabitants and is located in the center of the Veneto region.