The Roma-Ostia Half Marathon ( it, Roma Ostia Mezza Maratona ''or'' it, Maratonina Roma-Ostia) is an annual

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

event which takes place in early March in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The course begins in the EUR district of the city and follows a direct south-easterly route to the finish point near the beaches of Ostia.Percorso 2011
. RomaOstia. Retrieved on 2011-03-04. It is Italy's most popular half marathon, with a record 12,000 entries and 9,485 finishers in 2011.Zorzi, Alberto (2010-02-28)

IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-04. The competition is organised by the ''Gruppo Sportivo Bancari Romani'' and comprises three distinct races. There is an elite level race for male and female athletes, a popular

fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors pr ...

for amateurs, and a "Business Run" which sees teams of runners represent domestic companies in the ''Campionato Italian Imprenditori di Mezza Maratona'' (Italian Business Championships in the Half Marathon). The Roma-Ostia race has been held every year since its inception, with the exceptions of 1982 and 1999. The race was inaugurated in March 1974 and was held on a 28-kilometre course. In its first dozen editions, the Roma-Ostia ranged from a distance of 27 km to 30 km. It was converted into an official half marathon race of 21.1 km for the 1987 edition and has remained so ever since. The course has a point-to-point format and as a result it some editions have had an overall downhill drop, as well as athlete-assisting tailwinds. Due to these factors, some performances have been ineligible for personal bests or records.Civai, Franco (2011-03-01)
Rome-Ostia Half Marathon
Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-03-04. In 2011 the course was significantly altered, allowing for faster times and record performances. Both the men's and women's course records were set in 2012. Philemon Kimeli Limo's time of 59:32 minutes stands as the men's course record, while

Florence Kiplagat Florence Jebet Kiplagat (born 27 February, 1987) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships ...

's run of 1:06:38 is the current record for females. The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

. Past winners of the elite race include

Stefano Baldini Stefano Baldini (born 25 May 1971 in Castelnovo di Sotto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) is a retired Italian runner who specialized in the marathon. He was the Olympic champion in Athens and was twice European champion (1998 and 2006). Biography Baldin ...

(the 2004

Olympic marathon The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the prog ...

champion), four-time Boston Marathon winner Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot,

Franca Fiacconi Franca Fiacconi (born 4 October 1965 in Rome) is a marathon runner from Italy. Biography Fiacconi won the 1998 New York City Marathon, after finishing second in 1996 and third in 1997. She also won the 2001 Enschede Marathon. She placed fourth i ...

(1998

New York Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

winner) and Mediterranean champion

Souad Aït Salem Souad Aït Salem, also known as Souad Aït Mahour-Bacha (born 6 January 1979 in Mécheria, Algeria) is an Algerian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the half marathon and marathon. She won gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2000 Africa ...

Past winners

Key:

References

External links

Official website
{{IAAF Gold Label Half marathons Athletics competitions in Italy Recurring sporting events established in 1974 Sports competitions in Rome Winter events in Italy 1974 establishments in Italy Athletics in Rome

Past winners

References

Further reading

External links