ROME – The Acea Run Rome The Marathon on Sunday 29 March 2020 is not just a marathon. It is much more; it is a journey in the Eternal city that will bring thousands of runners from all over the world to retrace and enjoy centuries of history.
It will be an opportunity to see and know and experience Rome without the noise of traffic, taking note of time (timekeeping) yes, but leaving your heart open to the thousand emotions and many wonders that the city will be able to give. 42.195km through ancient, imperial, renaissance and medieval Rome, we will be running through history. Maybe even thinking about that unforgettable summer night when the Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila won the 1960 Rome Olympics marathon barefoot. He ran through all of Rome in torch light, he arrived alone under the Arch of Constantine, he wrote the history of the marathon, a moment that will be remembered forever.
The 2020 route of the Acea Run Rome The Marathon is illustrated by the three-times world champion of ultramarathon 100km, Giorgio Calcaterra, a Roman born and raised in Trastevere who has dressed up in the clothes of Cicero for usand retraced the route in its entirety kilometre after kilometre. He has run it dozens of times, in fact a few years ago he did two laps, a good 84km, and arrived at the finish line after the second lap together with the last runner of the marathon at the 6-hour stage. Calcaterra is one of the symbols of Rome that runs and its marathon, he is greatly loved and followed; for years he also worked as a taxi driver and he knows the capital inside out.
“The route of this race is truly unique! It passes through the heart of Rome and makes you realise why, every day, tourists from all over the world come to this city. And those of use who will run the marathon will have the privilege of being able to savour all of this by doing what we like most to do in life” Giorgio Calcaterra says immediately.
“First of all, a little tip: be careful not to let yourself go and and set off “at full speed”. It is a mistake that is often made, it is as if you are carried away by the enthusiasm you feel in the air and at that point you no longer remember the established table and rhythms. You really have to keep in mind that the first five kilometres are very important, they are the ones during which you need to establish the right pace to maintain for the whole race. And as they say: if you start well, you are halfway there …”.
FROM 0 to 10 KM – It starts from the Imperial Forums, with the Colosseum in the background: “I return to my tip: you will have to keep your legs in check, this is especially true as, immediately after the start, there is a downhill stretch, where it is very easy to spontaneously increase your rhythm. This is followed by a slightly uphill section. These first 5 km will immediately reveal the beauty of this city: straight after the road you will pass in front of the Vittoriano and Piazza Venezia, you will come across Teatro Marcello, a small “Colosseum”, the Circus Maximus and the Pyramid of Cestius. From the 5th to the 10th km the track is flat, fast, and we will enjoy the sight of the Basilica of San Paolo. Rome is full of churches, but this is one of the special ones: it is one of the four papal basilicas, in which the Pope celebrates the rite of opening the Holy Door at the beginning of each Holy Year”.
FROM 11 to 20 KM – “This stretch runs first along the Lungotevere, with Castel Sant’Angelo, the Synagogue and the Tiber Island, then through the streets around the Basilica of San Pietro, where we will be faced with a few more bends and below our feet the mythical cobblestones trampled thousands of years ago by the mythical Roman gladiators. These are also flat and fairly fast kilometres. As said at the beginning be careful not to overdo it”.
FROM 20 TO 30 KM – “We continue along the Lungotevere, crossing the Prati district, then reaching the height of Ponte Milvo and the Foro Italico, the sporting heart of Rome. Despite being the part of the route furthest from the centre, it can be magical. Towards the end, there is an uphill section”.
UP TO THE FINISH LINE – “From 31 to 35km, we leave and then return to the Lungotevere and the track becomes flat again. Then, up to the finish line, we can feel the heart of this city beating again. We return to the historic centre after going through an underpass, which has a slope that, although slight, you really feel in your legs given the number of kilometres you have already run. From here, you pass, in order, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagna, before crossing the finish line at the Imperial Forums. I don’t think there is anything else to add…”.
FITWALKING RUN – Even those who want to walk can enjoy all the beauty of the Acea Run Rome The Marathon track. The new marathon in the capital is open to all practitioners and lovers of Fitwalking, who will also be supported by instructor pacers, certified in the Fitwalking-Damilano Method, at the pace of 6:15 or 6:30. No matter how fast you go and when you finish, the important thing is the journey and doing it on foot is something special and exciting. Especially if it’s in the Eternal City.