An exciting and iconic road race to be run through a course immersed in the history and magic of Rome. With 70 days to go until the start of the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, scheduled from 7 to 12 June, the Half Marathon course has been unveiled.
The best European athletes will be competing on the morning of Sunday 9 June over a distance of 21.097km. For the first time since 2006 the finish line of a road race of the European Athletics Championships will be inside the stadium, as was the case for the Marathon at the Goteborg 2006 European Athletics Championships, won by Italian star Stefano Baldini 18 years ago.
The Roma 2024 Half Marathon will start from Fori Imperiali at 9 a.m. for men, while the women’s race will get underway at 9.30 a.m.. The course will touch some of the capital’s most iconic sites and monuments, running alongside the “Altare della Patria” in Piazza Venezia, then crossing the main road Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Piazza Navona, heading for “Castel Sant’Angelo” and St. Peter’s Square, before moving towards Piazza Mazzini and reaching Lungotevere Guglielmo Oberdan (the main road of the city along the Tevere river).
After running for about 6 km, the athletes will enter a circuit 4.1km long, to be repeated three times, passing the “Ponte della Musica” bridge and crossing the river on “Ponte Duca D’Aosta” bridge.
The final part of the half marathon will be run inside the Foro Italico Park, with the finish line inside the Olympic Stadium in front of the fans. An exciting revival of what happened in the Marathons held at the Roma 1974 European Athletics Championships and at the Roma 1987 World Athletics Championships, both concluded inside the stadium.
The Roma 2024 Half Marathon will also award team medals, which will be added to the total of 141 medals that will be assigned during the Championships, including all individual competitions and relays.
Among the most awaited Italian athletes at the start of the Half Marathon will be Yeman Crippa and Sofiia Yaremchuk, Italian national record holders in both the Marathon and Half Marathon distances.
“It will be exciting to run in Rome, at home, surrounded by culture and architectural beauties. There is a lot of expectation for Sunday 9 June, and I hope to see a lot of spectators supporting the Italian athletes and champions coming in the city from all over Europe.” comments Yeman Crippa, European 10,000m champion.
“I am looking forward to this day of celebration. It will be like running through the history: the course is beautiful, kilometres of emotions will push us from the start in the Fori Imperiali, with the magical Colosseum behind us, to the Foro Italico Park, to finish inside the Olympic Stadium. It will be a fantastic half marathon for Rome that will become the capital of European athletics.” added Sofiia Yaremchuk.
The morning session of Roma 2024 on 9 June will continue with the other competitions scheduled, including the men’s High Jump qualification, with the Italian star Gianmarco Tamberi ready to make his debut ahead of the final scheduled on 11 June.
Tickets to follow the morning sessions of the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships are on sale here with prices starting from 5 euros plus presale and service fees.