I met him a few weeks earlier on a television program, and he made an impression. There was something special about him, and I wanted to know more. That's how this interview came about. Let me tell you about Nicola Pintus.
I find it hard to say exactly who he is and what he does. He is an athlete, a mentor, an idealist who wants to challenge the world of intellectual disability—a brother, a friend, a "father" to 25 young people with autism or fragile X syndrome, a condition that can cause mild learning difficulties or severe intellectual delays. He calls himself a sports director, but you sense the title constrains him.
Years ago, Nicola Pintus and his fiancée—now his wife—Roberta attended their parish youth group, which welcomed young people with disabilities.
In 1984, he enrolled in a sports education institute and proved himself an elite athlete. During military service, he trained athletes competing in the Italian Federation of Sports for the Disabled.
In 1986, while teaching at a gymnasium, he met Alberto Rubino, a young man with autism. He soon discovered Alberto's physical strength and began training him, running together in Roman parks and stadiums. But Nicola made another discovery: Alberto, who had stopped speaking at age three, was opening up to the world and becoming more social through running. This was where the challenge began. From the gym to the parks, from parks to longer and harder routes, eventually to his first races. Then a half-marathon (21 km), then marathons around the world (New York, Boston, Rome), and finally the greatest challenge: taking Alberto to the Himalayan mountains.
They trained every day, became close friends—almost brothers—and set out on their great expedition.
For someone with autism, it is not easy to leave his familiar environment, separate from his parents, endure a long flight, and walk at high, very high altitude in extremely difficult conditions. Nothing is certain, nothing predictable, yet the challenge was met, and for Alberto it was an incredible experience. Alberto became the symbol and "mascot" of the Filippide Pilot Project. Two years ago, this program expanded to 25 young people (12 between 8 and 13 years old, and 13 aged 14 and over).
Now many are traveling the world and running various marathons, including the 2002 North Pole Marathon, in which six of them participated.
The Filippide Project is directly supported by the CNR (Italian National Research Council). It is known that athletes naturally increase their serotonin levels—a substance that controls aggression and promotes better sleep. Young people with autism typically have insufficient serotonin and must take medications that can have serious side effects. Those behind the Filippide Project hope the scientific community will soon investigate whether competitive sports practiced regularly might naturally raise serotonin levels in autistic individuals. The project is in its early stages, however, and research and scientific approval take time. I must say that Nicola Pintus and his wife Roberta speak about it with tremendous enthusiasm and knowledge—and they are very convincing.
The athletes are trained by experts: psychologists, social workers, therapists, speech pathologists, sports professionals, and many volunteers (the minibus driver, for instance, is Nicola's father-in-law).
They don't only run; they also swim in the afternoons. For now they meet all day Tuesday, but they hope to expand to more days soon. The city of Rome supports and funds the project. A similar program is running in Viareggio, and a new section will soon open in Catania.
Each athlete receives a personalized sports program—a "custom-tailored suit," as Nicola puts it. We all have different ways, tempos, and goals. The races they enter are open marathons, and coming up on March 28 in Rome and April 4 in Milan, you can meet them and run alongside them.
The way Nicola relates to the young people is very equal; you hear praise, encouragement, and correction. Together they form a great group of friends working hard.
Now perhaps you understand my difficulty in defining what Nicola Pintus does.
He is no longer a professional athlete; he is not a trainer by formal training; he is obviously not the brother or father of 25 young people; he is not simply a friend because he is the association's president and deals with people of national standing; he is not merely a president or administrator because he does not simply direct—he works actively, handling the sports training of his young people down to walking them to the gate, and he treats all his companions as friends, caring for them with affection and simplicity.
Nicola Pintus is simply a person who believes in what he does and who believes above all in his young people, to whom he gives miles and miles of trust. They look like a great band of musketeers shouting: One for All and All for One!
(For more information: progettofilippide)
Huberta Pott, 2004