You organize the Maratona Internazionale Ravenna on the 8th of November 2015. Can you tell us where your event is located and how runners are able to travel there easily?
International Ravenna Marathon is located in the historic city center. There are multiple ways to reach Ravenna:
BY CAR:
From the North, you can reach Ravenna through the A14 highway from Bologna at the confluence of the A1 del Sole, the A21 Torino-Piacenza and the A22. From Venice, the fastest road is SS 309 “Romea”, to which the road from Padua and Ferrara eventually joins. From the South, in addition to the A1 and A14, we suggest the E45 highway, that goes through the Apennines and connects Ravenna to Rome and the Adriatic highway 16.
BY PLANE:
The airports of Bologna (Guglielmo Marconi), Forlì (G. Ridolfi), Rimini (Miramare) and Venice (Marco Polo), are connected with the most important Italian and European cities by scheduled and charter flights. From Bologna, Ravenna can be reached by car or train, the journey time varying between one to two hours. The journey times from the other airports are about a two-hour drive from Venice, and less than an hour from Forlì and Rimini.
BY BUS:
There is a shuttle bus from the Teatro Alighieri (200 meters from the station) to Pala De Andrè.
Are there different distances in your event?
We have both a marathon and a half marathon.
Tell us something about the history of your event. Why was it created in the first place and how has it changed over the years?
Marathon Ravenna was born in 1999 in the wake of a growing movement that “demanded” opportunities to race in new eye-catching reality. Ravenna, with its history, its art and its culture combined with a hospitality and rich landscapes to discover, was a perfect choice for location. Over the years the event has evolved from national to international, and now, with the new course in office for a couple of years, Marathon Ravenna aims to get an important role in the crowded calendar of marathons. The city, a candidate for European Capital of Culture in 2019, will play its part by offering athletes the chance to run while admiring monuments and history that few cities in the world can boast.
Describe your route a bit. How’s the scenery? Is the route beginner friendly? Can runners expect PB’s?
The last kilometers of the race allow runners to “visit” seven of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Site monuments, before reaching Piazza del Popolo in the cozy “living room” of the city, former capital the Western Roman Empire.
The course, with the departure from the majestic Pala De Andre will start towards the Ravenna coast of Punta Marina and Marina di Ravenna, through the pine forest. Runners will get to smell the salty scent of the Adriatic Sea whose cost runs parallel to the course, separated only by sand dunes and pine woods. After the return to the convenient bike path, runners will run through the “valleys” of the famous Piallassa Piomboni. Then the course returns to the town. Here, after a necessary step in the dock of the city, you begin to breathe in the history with the arrival in the Park of Theodoric, where you can admire the famous Mausoleum. From here on it will be a celebration of art, history and culture that “distracts” the marathon runner from the fatigue of the last kilometers with passages and glimpses of extraordinary intensity.
How many runners do you expect to have in your event?
Thousands crossed the finish line last year, so we expect to get quite a nice turn-out. Those who finish get a true piece of art around their neck, as our medal is in mosaic, a unique jewel in the world. Each piece is hand made and one-of-a-kind, so cross the line so that you can brag to have your own!
What kind of weather conditions can runners prepare to face in your event?
The coldest November temperature on average is 6 °C, the warmest average temperature 12 °C. The weather will be quite cool, but nevertheless well suitable for running.
What else runners should do in the city after/before the race? Any suggestions to newcomers?
Ravenna is a treasure chest of art, history and culture of the first order; in its glorious past, it was capital three times between the 5th and 8th centuries and the magnificence of this period has left important remains that we can admire today. Ravenna is the city of mosaic. For this reason its early Christian and Byzantine religious buildings have been acknowledged as world heritage by Unesco, such as: The Mausoleum of Galla Placidi, Neonian Baptistery, Arian Baptistery, Basilica of S. Apollinare Nuovo, Chapel of S. Andrea, Mausoleum of Theodoric, Basilica of San Vitale and Basilica of S. Apollinare in Classe.
Walking in the city you will discover the frescoes in the style of Giotto in Santa Chiara, without forgetting the relics of the last refuge of Dante Alighieri.
How would you describe your event to people who haven’t yet participated in it? What makes your event unique?
It will be an experience like no other – like you have stepped back in time. You will feel like a protagonist of a historical event!
