My marathons

Roma-Ostia Half Marathon

09:009:00 AM Rome
Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana
Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. Photograph by dalbera from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser describes 21.097 km along Via Cristoforo Colombo, starting in the EUR district and finishing at Piazzale Cristoforo Colombo in Ostia.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Out of the EUR, then straight to the seaFrom the EUR to the sea at Ostia along Via Cristoforo Colombo.
  • The Camping climb from km 10 to 14A climb from km 10 to the Acilia junction at about 14.
  • A descent, then the seaFast km 14 to 17, then the sea at the finish.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryOut of the EUR, then straight to the seaFrom the EUR to the sea at Ostia along Via Cristoforo Colombo.

The start is on Via Cristoforo Colombo opposite the PalaEUR, at Viale dell’Umanesimo, and the first kilometres loop through the EUR on flat, wide roads, crossing the bridge over the Laghetto dell’EUR within the first kilometre. From just past 4 km the course runs down Via Cristoforo Colombo towards Ostia, with a gentle slope up to the Pontina junction and under the Grande Raccordo Anulare.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientThe Camping climb from km 10 to 14A climb from km 10 to the Acilia junction at about 14.

The first 1.5 km of the climb is the steepest, with a slope of no more than three degrees. The slope then eases for another 1,400 metres to the Acilia junction, where the climb ends.

Sourced

Whole courseFinishA descent, then the seaFast km 14 to 17, then the sea at the finish.

The organiser describes a refreshing descent of about 2.5 km to the 15th kilometre, then a gentler slope with small changes until the finish. After the line, runners walk towards the seafront for the medal; the Ostia to Rome train stops about 200 metres from the finish, with trains every 15 minutes.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Rome, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
21.1 km13.1 mi
cut-off
3:30 h

Race week

Timetable

Before race week 1 key date

  1. 15 Feb 2027

    Last day to change a best time, a name or to move to 2028 Best times can be changed until 23:59 by email; name changes and a transfer of the entry to the 2028 edition are possible until the same day.

Sunday 28 February Race day

  1. 07:307:30 AM

    Runners gather PalaEUR, Rome

  2. 09:009:00 AM

    First wave starts Via Cristoforo Colombo, opposite the PalaEUR. Waves start in grids by declared time; later waves enter their grids only after the wave before has left.

  3. Time not published

    Overall time limit Three hours 30 minutes for the half marathon. 3:30 limit: 9:57/km for 21.0975 km3:30 limit: 16:01/mi for 13.1 mi
Cut-offs (2)

  1. Time not published

    Gate at km 10 Runners not through km 10 within 1 hour 40 minutes are asked to stop. 1:40 limit: 10:00/km for 10 km1:40 limit: 16:05/mi for 6.2 mi

  2. Time not published

    Gate at km 15 Runners not through km 15 within 2 hours 30 minutes are asked to stop. 2:30 limit: 10:00/km for 15 km2:30 limit: 16:05/mi for 9.3 mi

Times as published by the organiser, in Rome time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Rome time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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