Biking Hiking & Running, Rome

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March 28, 2006 - 10,034 MARATHON FINISHERS
10,034 marathon finishers, of which 1546 women and 56 disabled athletes!

2007 ROME MARATHON SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 18

Marathons run in the largest cities of the world have become a very popular event and the Rome Marathon has seen a growing number of participants, with a large foreign attendance, even though it lacks the reputation of the Boston Marathon and the star-power of the New York one. The event takes place on a Sunday in March when a fine day does not mean a hot day yet.
The starting and finishing points are set at the Colosseum, which with St. Peter's is no doubt the best known monument of Rome. The marathon is part of the International Association of Athletics Federations yearly planned events. The participants to the marathon are in the region of 10,000, but the attendance to the 5 km Fun Race reaches an attendance of some 26,000 runners.
As a matter of fact the start of the race is given with the "professional" athletes in the first lines so that they can immediately compete for victory without having to find their way through the scores whose main objective is just to complete the marathon. In the picture on the left, taken at the first kilometer from the start, the best runners are already in key positions.

Photo 2 - The many participants who have combined the marathon with a Roman holiday smile to the camera to bring home a memento of their attendance at the event. Many hotels offer a special package for those coming to Rome to take part in the event.

Photo 3 - While a certain number of runners are dedicated to this kind of sport and take very seriously the agonistic side of the event, others are more inclined to have some fun, although their equipment might not be the most suitable for completing the 42 kilometers long run. In some cases the runners are soliciting donations for charities or expressing their support for a noble cause.