Venice, Italy – On Sunday, October 25 will be the unique and first “Venicemarathon One for All” and “Venicemarathon Virtual Race 42K & 10K”.
“During this hard time we worked in close and continuous contact with local authorities, health institutions and Fidal (the Italian Federation of athletics) to try and organize the event this year as our tradition saw in the past. Unfortunately, the strong concern for an epidemiological situation still in progress, especially abroad, forced us, with great regret but with a necessary sense of responsibility, to recognize the impossibility of managing in health safety the events which involved last year about 30,000 people including athletes, school children, volunteers, police forces and professionals “. These are the words of the president of Venicemarathon Piero Rosa Salva, which summarize the commitment made by the organization in such a difficult period.
Venicemarathon 2020 Special Edition
A rich and innovative program of events will replace the “live” event of the 42K and 10K, that are not able to take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
All registered runners will receive the exclusive commemorative medal, the work of the famous American graphic designer Milton Glaser and the official t-shirt of the event.
On the other hand, among the 5,000 registered athletes, 1,500 would have come from abroad, with great difficulties in this particular moment and the other athletes would have arrived from the other Italian Regions, with serious problems regarding train and flight travels.
The City of Venice, gives special thanks to the municipal government, who has shown the world the ability to carry out, despite this difficult period, the traditionally most important events such as the International Film Festival, the Historical Regatta and many others. This is the reason why the organizers of Venicemarathon want to give a message of continuity and enthusiasm.
So, a new “Venicemarathon Special Edition” is born: from October 24 to November, 1 will take place the innovative “Venicemarathon Virtual Race 42K and 10K”, the spectacular “Venicemarathon One for All” and a congress on the problems of the sports practice during the pandemic period, thanks to the support of the Ulss 3 Serenissima and a virtual Expo Village that will host a huge interactive program.
Venicemarathon One for All
One athlete for the male category and one athlete for the female category will be drawn from all registered athletes and they will have the opportunity to run for all athletes on Sunday, October 25 through the original Venicemarathon race course, from Villa Pisani (Stra) to Riva Sette Martiri (Venice). They will accompany a pacer team and a coloured caravan that will assist them along the race course, guaranteeing their safety. A video troupe will broadcast the event on Venicemarathon web and social channels, on the media partner (Corriere dello Sport, Tuttosport and Il Gazzettino) and on the international network PMG Sport.
Venicemarathon Virtual Race 42K and 10K
The other athletes of the marathon and the 10K will participate individually running through the race courses that they choose. The distance has to be precise (42.195 meters or 10km) and participants have to run this once. Registered athletes will have a week to run: from 9am CEST to Sunday, October 25 to midnight of Sunday, November 1. The registration is simple: you have to download that organizers will furnish and will collect the race data. Then all athletes will receive the official results.
Moreover, local athletes will have the possibility to run the “Virtual 10K” at the San Giuliano Park only on Sunday, October 25, where there will be an organized 10K race course where athletes could run individually from 9am to 6pm CEST and where they can wait for the 2 athletes who will cross the 30th kilometer of the “Venicemarathon One for All” while respecting the Covid rules. All participants will receive the official T-Shirt of the event and the unique commemorative medal, designed by Milton Glaser, one of the most important graphic designer and illustrator of the contemporary era. He is famous for his logo “I LOVE NY”. Milton was a friend of Venice and one of his last work was the poster and the medal designed for the 35th Venicemarathon.
Registrations and postponements to 2021 and 2022
Organizer have established a participation limit of 5000 marathon runners and 2000 10K runners. Right now, athletes registered to the 35th Venicemarathon are 3352 for the 42K and 1198 for the 10K. registration are opened on the website www.venicemarathon.it.
All athletes who doesn’t want to participate to this special edition, could postpone their registration on 2021 or 2022. More information will be sent directly to athletes; athletes can postpone their registration on our website.