Rome, Italy 22.03.2026
Source: https://www.runromethemarathon.com/en/marathon/
The history of the RUN ROME THE MARATHON, also known as the Rome Marathon or Maratona di Roma, is a mix of ancient tradition and modern endurance running.
🏛️ Key Historical Points
- Earliest Races (1906): While the modern annual marathon is newer, a race over the marathon distance was run in Rome as far back as April 2, 1906, won by the Italian runner Dorando Pietri (who later gained fame in the 1908 London Olympics).
- The First Official Edition (1982/1995): The event’s official establishment is often cited with two different dates, indicating an evolution of the race:
- 1982: This date marks the first running of a modern, institutionalized Rome Marathon, although the course distance in early years wasn’t always the full $42.195\text{ km}$ ($26.2\text{ miles}$).
- 1995: Some sources mark this year as the first “true” marathon with the standardized distance.
- The Olympic Marathon (1960): Rome hosted the iconic 1960 Summer Olympics marathon, famously won by the barefoot Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila. The course for this race finished at the Arch of Constantine.
- A Unique Event: The marathon is renowned for its course, which is often described as running through an “open-air museum.” The route starts and finishes near the Colosseum and winds past countless historical landmarks, including the Imperial Fora, Piazza di Spagna, the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, and the Circus Maximus.
- Recent Records: The course record is currently held by Asbel Rutto (Kenya) with a time of 2:06:23 set in 2024, and the women’s record is held by Kebede Megertu Alemu (Ethiopia) with a time of 2:22:52 set in 2019.
The race continues to be a major international event, blending the athletic challenge of the marathon distance with the unique experience of running through the heart of the Eternal City.
endu.net/en/events/run-rome-the-marathon/entry
