The 13th edition of Maratona della Città di Roma was flagged off by Rome’s mayor Walter Veltroni at 9am on Sunday 18 March. At the end of the race, the following records were established:

1. Record number of finishers in an Italian marathon 12,078 finishers, including 51 disabled (and more than 45,000 were at the start of the Stracittadina 4 km Fun Run).
2. Women’s course record (Souad Ait Salem 2:25.08).
3. Men’s handbike record (Roland Ruepp 1:21.26).
4. Women’s handbike record (Monique Van der Vorst 1:24.49).
5. Men’s paraplegic Weelchair record (Kurt Fearnley 1:35.28).
6. Men’s 2007 world record (Chelimo Kemboi 2:09.36).
7. Blind world record (Andrea Cionna 2:31.59).
8. Italian retro-running record (Claudio Conti 5:50.48).

1. Race Intro
This is the 13th edition of the marathon being held in one of the most ancient, yet beautiful and historical city of the world. The roads and squares of the Eternal City, which is otherwise known, have seen some of the really mythical moments of the whole history of racing on foot since the early years of the twentieth century.

“It is impossible to forget Dorando Pietri who on 2nd April 1906 triumphed at the tape of Piazza di Siena: in that spring, Villa Borghese anointed the great athlete from Carpi between lines of enthusiastic onlookers. And who does not remember the achievement of Abebe Bikila who, barefoot, took off along the floodlit Appia Antica to arrive a triumphant winner under the Arch of Costantine in the Olympic Marathon of 1960. Another already legendary figure is the kenian-japanese Douglas Wakiihuri who won the rainbow jersey on 6th september 1987 beating two champions like Ahmaed Saleh and ther very own Gelindo Bordin.”

2. Registration & Race Packet Pick-up
Online registration is available via the event website. There is also fax copy available but those are for local runners. The cost of registration varies from 28 Euro (early bird registration) to 57 Euro (1 month prior to event). There is no race day registration except for the new 4km fun run where interested runners could register onsite at the marathon village.

However, note that successfully registered the event online does not guarantee you a bib number. You must fax (or email) a copy of the physician certification that you are able to participate in the marathon event. In fact, the Health Declaration requires your physician to “declare myself (your physician) fully responsible and acknowledge the consequences for falsely declaring that you (the runner) is in good health and fit to compete in a 42,195m marathon according to current laws.” In the event that you are unable to get your GP to certify you, an alternative is a qualified sports physician (e.g. Singapore Medicine Sports Clinic). It was only then I was told that in Italy, school children must go through a mandatory health check by the time they reached 12 years old.

Race pick-up was at the marathon village held in a big hall. First you have to produce your Health Declaration and ID to pick-up your race bib and timing chip. Then you will collect your race goodie bag from another counter. Thereafter, visitors are free to visit all the various stores for the latest products or bargains.

At the end, prior to you stepping out of the marathon village, visitors running in the marathon will activate their timing chip automatically when they walk past a sensor at the exit point. This is very convenient as compared to some marathons which require runners to queue up to activate their chip. In fact, after your chip is activated, a big screen “Ciao, your name” will be shown. This is very cool indeed.

3. Amenities (including goodie bags, medal, certificate, finishing tee, results book, etc)
The goodie bag is sponsored by Asics and has 2 large compartments. It looked like a student bag but was nicely designed. Inside the bag, it contains product samples, drinks, mailers, discount coupons, blue color event tee and also a red color wrist band! It was very value for money. Participant should also order the marathon card, which allow one to travel on public transport (bus and trains) free of charge for 5 days inclusive of the day after the marathon.

The finisher medal will be given to all finisher within the 7 hours time limit. The medal has been designed by Alfiero Nena, the chairman of the Italian Sculpturist Association and looked extremely artistic! It was unlike any other medals in my collection. It looked very personalised as compared to being commercially produced. A day after the event, participant will receive their timing via email. Participant could also download the online marathon diploma (certificate), reflecting the timing at every 5km mark, via the website at the same time.

4. Pre-race activities (e.g. expo, pasta dinner, etc)
In Italy, you will never run out of places for a good makan and carbo-loading dinner. You can find cafes and restaurants in almost every corner of the streets in Rome. I went to the restaurant nearby my hotel, spending 12 Euro for a pasta and coke. In fact, the serving for the pasta is so big that it could serve two person instead of one!

5. Time and Runners Limit
The time limit for the event is generously capped at 7 hours. There are no limit for the number of participants and the increased popularity of the event has drawn 15,000 runners for the 2007 marathon.

6. Course & Elevation

The marathon starts and ends at the magnificient Colosseo. And the route take us through the major sight-seeing places around Rome including Campidoglio, Basilica di S.Paulo, Piramide, St Peter’s Basilica,Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Novona, Circo Massimo, Foro Romano, etc. The course is also extremely flat and it is possible to achieve a PB here. However, part of the route consists of cobblestone and one has to be more careful when running through such surfaces as they are sometimes uneven.

7. Weather
The race commences at 9am so the weather is very nice and warm. The weather ranges between 15 to 18 Degree Celsius although slower runners may feel the heat between noon and 2pm. On the whole, Rome has cool weather in Mar.

8. Support Stations
There were a lot of supporters throughout the course, cheering, shouting, screaming and encouraing you along the way. Unfortunately, you won’t understand them unless you happen to read the italian langguage.

Water stations start at the 5km mark and thereafter, every 5km. Water, Gatorade, sugar solutions are provided at the first 3 stops. From the 4th stop onwards, besides water, Gatorade and sugar solutions, fruits (oranges, apples) and solid food (bread) are provided as well. Sponge stations are also setup from the 7.5km mark onwards and every 5km thereafter. You can say that you never get thirsty or hungry running in this City of Rome Marathon.

9. Places to Visit / Dine
Rome is such an ancient city that one has to spend at least 3 days to visit all the museums and places of interests. Entry fee into the Colosseo is charged at 11 Euro and there are 2 storeys that you can access. A minimum of 2-3 hours is recommended here. One should also spend at least a day at the Vatican City, whose allure and charm attracts thousands of visitors everyday come rain or shine.

10. Overall
This was a very well organised marathon and the best that I have participated. The course was great and full of history. Support throughout the course was excellant and supporters were vocal and colorful. After race amenities were sufficient and the rest area was not congested. Runners and their family were able to soak in the after-race atmosphere by having lunch or coffee at the cafes, restaurant found along the side of the finished area.

And I must mention about the race photos. For the runners, you will receive your race day photos approximately 2 months after the event, sent to your home address. If you decide to purchase them, just made payment online via the event website. For those that you do not fancy, just return to them via post. Convenient and simple.

Overall Ratings : 9/10