Roma (Rome) Marathon & Relay
More Info: | News |
Results: | Top 3 Finishers by Year |
Name: | Enrico Castrucci | |
Address: | Viale B.Bardanzellu 65,
00155 Roma Italy |
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Phone Number: | +39 06 40 65064 | |
Fax Number: | +39 06 40 65063 | |
Email: |
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S. M. from England
(3/26/2024)
"Great experience - beautiful Marathon" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 NOT a PB Course. Not Fast - hills, cobbles and lots of twists and turns. Expo was a bit annoying as out of town. Arrived Saturday, long queues and only had large and extra large T-shirts left. Race Day - start was a bit chaotic, not enough toilets and lot of slow runners starting in the wrong wave. Amazingly, even 3:30 pace makers were at the front - clearly in the wrong section. | |
Gregory Helbig from Branchport NY
(3/18/2024)
"Spectacular" (about: 2024)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 283rd marathon (or longer) and I ran it with my adult daughter for her first marathon. The Good: This flat course was spectacular, starting and finishing next to the Colosseum and Forum, and passing through a part of the Vatican. Well stocked aid stations and pretty good traffic control (for the most part). Despite all the admonishments to bring this or that to check-in, there were plenty of English speakers and wonderful help. We went to packet pick-up Friday morning (as recommended) and avoided any crowds whatsoever. It was all so organized and efficient, I thought I was in Switzerland. Students from the Universtat in Rome were doing a survey. As someone who spent too many years in grad school, filling out this short on-site computer form would truly benefit these young scholars. The Bad: There was a jam-up getting into the runners' area before the race, but this is easily solvable. Too few porta-squirters, but this is a universal problem in marathoning. The Ugly: Being my daughter's first marathon, and her not having run over 10 miles before, we ran easy (6:24:27), just to cover the distance and see the sights. As we were passing through a shopping district (still well under the cut-off times), crowd control broke down as shoppers demanded their Gucci. I would have given this event straight 5s across the board, if not for the pre-race jam-up (organization) or the rabid Gucci shoppers (spectators). | |
M. J. from Copenhagen, Denmark
(8/16/2017)
"Beautiful race but course a little slow" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the Rome marathon in 2015. The good: The course is absolutely stunning! Although a bit of the course takes places outside the city in the boring areas, most of the course is run inside the city along side the historic monuments. This alone is worth doing the race! The finisher medal is very beautiful and changes every year, although the style is kept. Aid stations are good and support is good for most of the race. The bad: The cobble stone streets make for a fairly slow race, so don't run this one for the finish time, run it for the course. Finding volunteers (or anyone involved in the organisation of the race) on race day that spoke even a little English was hard, so tough luck if you are a foreigner and have questions on race day. For example, my family who came to support me missed me crossing the finish line because access to the streets around the finish line had been blocked completely and with no one speaking English, they could get no directions or help. The few bad things aside, this is a race to run! | |
Francesco Cornelio from Bologna, Italy
(5/19/2017)
"Good race (not super fast) in a wonderful city" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 In my opinion Rome is the most beautiful city in the world and only the trip is worth because of this. Said that, part of the course is outside the city centre, with no spectators and this makes running pretty hard. Bring good cushioned shoes because the pavement is not very even and after a while your feet are really beaten up. Getting to the start can be tricky because of the subway getting completely full of runners (I arrived late!), so just take your time and it will be fine. Organization was good, just a bit far to reach the Expo to pick up the bib. Said that I really liked the race and Rome is always a beauty! :) | |
R. P. from Calgary, Canada
(4/22/2017)
"Not as great as I imagined" (about: 2017)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Rome was my fourth marathon and I fully expected it to top the Paris Marathon and become my favorite. Rome was great but not the best. I chose Rome for a flat course in a great city. It promised to be scenic and more than 16,000 runners. Although I train alone, I like to race in a crowd. Rome delivered all of these. The advance logistics and communication were frustrating. Organizers answer Facebook questions quickly but individual queries sent by email get useless, auto replies. The medical certificate and running club membership required for non-Italians are pointless. My medical certificate was ignored; the running club membership felt like a cash grab. Eventually I did get confirmation that I was registered. The marathon expo is large but the offerings are slim. There are many booths promoting other marathons and a few vendors. I thought I would be able to find short running shorts. I didn't. The expo was inconveniently located in Rome. The event T-shirt and backpack were very nice. The logo is great but I am always surprised when non-English cities have English-only slogans: 'All Roads Lead to Rome.' The race day was generally well organized. Runners are marshalled into the road behind the Colosseum. Bags are stored in trucks by bib numbers. It is simple and efficient. As a 3:30 runner, I was in an early group. I should have been less honest about my previous best time and entered with 3:15. The start areas flowed well but I was boxed in for the first five kilometres. It was partly my own mistake not the organizers. It cost me at least five minutes. The course has many turns. I expected to run much more than 42.2 km. I did not. By running the tangents my actual distance was 42.4 km. That was a pleasant surprise. Run smart on the many turns or you could come close to 43 km. The sites in Rome are splendid but 2017 was not the year to enjoy the view. It rained for much of the race. It was cold, windy and the torrential downpour made the cobblestones slick. I think you can have rain or cobblestones but not both if you want a fast time. There is a hill near the finish. Part of the hill is in a tunnel. It is a tough price to pay for a downhill homestretch. There were more than enough aid stations with water, 'salts' (energy drinks) and fruit. Someone told me there was biscotti. It wasn't true but there were other types of cookies at some stations. There were many sponge stations too. In the rain, the volunteers must have felt redundant. The crowd is notoriously ambivalent. In the rain, the crowd was notably thin. Even bands sought cover from the deluge under doorways and awnings. There were areas with good cheering - typically the biggest tourist sites like the Piazza Navona. The finisher medal is lovely. For some time, the medals have had a bronze finish and original designs. Though the details change year over year, the medals seem to combine an ancient feel with a contemporary look. The are perfect for the Eternal City. Overall, Rome puts on a wonderful event. To be fair in this review, I have needed to separate the weather from what organizers can control. If you have never run a great marathon in Europe, pick Paris. If you have done Paris and want something new, Rome is a great race. | |
m. i. from herts uk
(4/5/2017)
"Stunning course- and less chaotic organisation" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Roma (Rome) Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I learnt my lesson and registered on the Thursday. No crowds no queue but still in a venue that is relatively inaccessible. The real reason to run this is the wonderful course and it really is that. There are some dull bits in the mid 20's km but what can beat the start at the Colosseum, St peters at 16 km and the final 7 km through the sights of this wonderful city. A downhill final kilometre is welcome too but getting to the start is still pretty arduous. The marshalling and funnelling at the start are better and the negatives are being dealt with. Great support considering this is the wettest marathon I have ever run and efficient marshalling and processing. Drinks are in cups but you can nip round the back of the drink station and grab a bottle without too much fuss. No gels but lots of fruit. All in all now a top league marathon but still a long way to go for organisation to be up there with the best | |
A. S. from Tirana, Albania
(8/16/2016)
"My first that convinced me it wont be the last" (about: 2016)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Your first marathon experience is very crucial. I had my first in Rome, and I couldnt ask for a better one! Ive been several times in Rome and I know the city, but seeing it from point of view of a marathon runner, is a completely different thing. It is advisable to participate in at least another running race in Italy just to get a glimpse of what organisation looks like for Italians. Luckily I did that, so I knew what to expect, good, but not without hiccups. While perhaps not the ideal, the marathon organisers try to do their best. The registration process, through a website that is a tad erratic, was not completely stress free. Sending emails didnt work, however the organisers are much quicker to respond through their Facebook page! The start and end of the area are well organised and located. Read the instructions you get with the registration package very very carefully! Along the race, as usual sponge and refreshment areas, with water and salt as they call electrolyte beverages, as well as food in the form of fruits. I didnt see gels, however I had mine with me, so no problem there. The race course goes through some of the most spectacular sights of Rome (dare I say of the world?!) and that is completely worth despite an almost indifferent crowd. The last 5 kilometres, while reserving some of the best parts of the Rome historical city centre, were particularly painful for me: 1) running in the cobblestone track (the Romans call them Sampietrini) was horrible. I was always afraid I would stumble and fall! 2) unless you are one of those whose finish time is less than 3 hours, the end of the race for you will correspond to the midday, under a very generous Roman sun. It can get very hot and I thought my feet were on fire. However, the finish - exhilarating! One that I will never forget - and the medal - beautiful. I was able to locate the truck where my bag was on store quite easily and continued walking with a huge smile on my face. Post race, I found myself having to sift through hundreds of pages with photos, locating my photos was a marathon by itself ;-) Overall, I would recommend Rome to anyone. It was my first, that convinced me that it would not be the last. | |
Sasha Watson from London
(6/13/2016)
"Great city, and a solid consistent marathon" (about: 2016)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 On paper it ticks all the boxes - and it delivers on most, but there are a few hiccups: - the start is crowded. this year there were roadworks by the colloseum, but getting into corals was non-existent, and messed up the start for many - expo is quite a way out of the city (go early pre-12pm to beat major queues) - the crowds and course does have its dull points, but this is to be expected. basically dont expect it to be a london / boston / nyc crowd, but the last 7k is great - tends to be hot. if you're training for a time, this ones not for you. Not a hiccup so to speak. The course takes in all the points you would expect from rome - st peters square being a standout, as is the start / the route from 35k. Gels/ drinks are standard for a well-organised race, and having video available afterwards is still a relatively modern addition. | |
Jeni Enjaian from South Carolina
(5/31/2015)
"Excellent Int'l Race if You Know What You're Doing" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Registering for and participating in an international marathon in a country that speaks an unfamiliar (to me) language can be intimidating, especially to a novice. I would not recommend this marathon to a first time marathoner. (Everyone should do it though and obviously run more than one marathon.) As I started this journey about a year ago I tried to make note of things that would be helpful to share in a review, things I learned, mistakes I made and etc. This review will be a combination of general tips and a review of the specific marathon put on on March 22, 2015. Registration: This was the most confusing part for me. Most international marathons require additional paperwork from foreign participants. (American marathons may do the same but I have yet to encounter anything.) The Rome Marathon required either a running club membership card or a completed health form with physicians signature and stamp. I went the route of the health form. Even though I am a member of the Greenville Track Club, I do not have a membership card. Running clubs in Europe are also structured differently than many American clubs. Since I do not understand them I wont try to explain. Regarding the health form, I believe that many doctors in Europe must have an official stamp, like that of a notary public. In my case, my doctor used a stamp that had the name and address of the entire practice. This form must be submitted and verified before ones registration is complete. This is where I got nervous. Navigating the website, especially the registration portion, was a bit of a nightmare. The organizations lack of timeliness in responding to inquiries during this time was unsatisfactory. I got two emails indicating that the mailbox for the official email was full and that the message could not be delivered. It wasnt until I took to their Facebook page and inquired about my registration status that I received confirmation that my registration was complete. Do not discard the health form. I had to present it at the expo to withdraw my bib and race packet. Travel to country: Be sure to arrive at least two days before race day. It was a bit of a logistical hurdle at work but worth it. One never knows when an airline strike (including air traffic controllers) will leave one stranded in Frankfurt because no flights are entering the entire country of Italy, all day. True story. I found out eight hours before my light left Charlotte about the cancellation. This led to a mad scramble resulting in train tickets taking us from Frankfurt to Rome including a night train. While this was far from ideal, I had enough of a cushion that I was still able to attend the Expo. The Marathon did allow for some race day pick up because in addition to an Alitalia strike there was a Lufthansa strike. Thats a point in their favor. Expo: For foreign competitors unable to use their phones without outrageous charges, designate a place to meet your family member before you enter the participants entry line. I did not do this and ended up making an anxious call to my dad when I realized that he had my ID on him. I also could not find him when it came time to enter the vender portion of the expo. Since I did not print my confirmation letter ahead of time, oops, they printed it for me. This was a fairly painless process and did not take long at all. Shirt and bib retrieval went really well also, very organized. Ill briefly mention the swag I received. In total I received a New Balance shirt with All Roads Lead to Rome on the back, a logo backpack to use for bag drop, plenty of samples and a full bag of tried pasta. I had to laugh at that one. I tried to find my dad at this point but when I couldnt, tried to find the exit. This took far too long. Perhaps if I had been able to find him it would have been more enjoyable. That being said, I am not a fan of the expo organization that herds participants past all the booths. This particular expo had to be one of the most confusing. I kept turning a corner expecting to see an exit only to be led through another corridor of booths. It definitely did not suffer from lack of size. Pre-race: Its hard to beat a warm up area in front of the Colosseum, even in the rain. Speaking of the rain, its a good idea to prepare by bringing a trash bag, extra ziplock baggies and a biggie of rice, just in case. Finding all those things in a foreign country could have been difficult. There were a good number of porto-potties, although bringing your own toilet aper and nose plugs is highly advisable. By the time you make a second trip those things are rank. I watched several ladies in the line next to me walk in and then right back out, not caring about the line. Corral set up was the best Ive experienced. The entire bib, not just a portion, were color coded by corral. Before entering the bib is checked. The you walk along a section of pavement separated from the later corrals by fencing that opens up into the specific corral. No line jumpers here. I cant speak to the pre-race announcements because I have no idea what he was saying. Course: This is a fabulous course. I wish it hadnt been raining and that I had been just a little more aware of my surroundings. Most of the scenic spots are located in the first and last 10km. (The course is marked in kilometers with the addition of 10, 15, and 20 mile markers.) The cobblestones are a little more taxing that regular pavement but not significantly more so in my opinion. Even when wet with rain they werent too much of an issue. Elevation change is also practically non-existent. There is one hill around mile 18 and one somewhere between miles 21 and 22. Water stops/refreshment stations The race provides water in bottles and cups. For some reason the ratio of bottles to cups increases towards cups as the race progresses. Electrolytes are called salts. The stops are well marked with signs. The volunteers are not exceptionally vocal. The race also has several sponge stations. In the rain, these stations seem pointless. Regardless, watch the ground in these sections to avoid stepping and slipping on a discarded sponge. I believe there was medical support on the course. However, since I did not make use of it I do not know where it was located or its adequacy or lack thereof. Spectators: This makes or breaks some peoples race. Not mine. Unlike what some reviewers mentioned, there were plenty of spectators, mainly in the city center, even on the rainy day. Be on the watch, however, for tourists crossing the path. There are plenty. I had one woman cross directly in front of me making me stutter-step to avoid tripping over her rolling suitcase. I had shouted No! No! No! at her as I saw her start to cross but to no avail. Finish/Post-race: Running through the piazza in front of the capital building towards the Colosseum is awesome. Definitely motivating. Immediately after finishing I was handed my medal. No ambiguity there. (One review I read mentioned some lack of organization at this point. I did not see it.) I also grabbed a 1.5l bottle of Gatorade with a flip top opening. They really need to see Gatorade bottles like this in the states! I also got a bag with another (smaller) bottle of Gatorade and other goodies. The walk back to the exit was extremely long, way too long. we had to walk past all of the left luggage trucks where several men took the opportunity right there to strip down and change. Im pretty sure it took me close to 15 minutes just to exit. It was likely longer due to how slowly I was walking at that point. Photos/Video: The video is not as impressive as I thought it would be, not worth paying for. Searching for photos was rather difficult until I realized that the marathon opens the search before all of the photos have been posted. The finish line photos must be searched for by finish time. They do not sort those according to bib number. Conclusion: Even with the quirks I would definitely recommend this marathon for American participants. Just plan to do your sightseeing afterwards, slowly. | |
M. E. from Copenhagen, Denmark
(4/8/2015)
"Loved the race..." (about: 2015)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Just loved, running through Piazza Venezia, Spagna, Piazza Navona etc. Hated the Cobblestones - so many of them. Beat my PB with 21 min. on the course. It's flat, with two small hils. Organization at the Expo and the end of the race was fantastic. But the start of the race was terrible. Didn't know that the race was started, so was 7 min after the start and it was just a mess. Also the pace runners were no where at the expected time. I wanted to run with 4:15 - but because of the start I didn't find them. After 6 km I passed the 4:45 and after 40 km I passed the 4:30. And ended with a 4:21 time!!Didn't make sense. But yes - I would do the race Again. |