INTRODUCTION

Marathon is the sport activity which best embodies the philosophy and the purposes of athletics: its fascination resides in its history and in the increasing success it is achieving all over the world.

More and more people run marathonsevery year: they are not only professional runners, but most of them are amateurs of both sexes and of any age. In a certain way the marathon is the emblem of the modern way of living in cities.

On one hand, by running marathons, people express the need to rebel against the constaints of a world which is too mechanised. On the other hand, runners want to discover their own bodies' capabilities, and they run in competition with themselves rather than with other runners. A marathon is a race which triggers a lot of emotion and a great passion. It is the chance for everyone to become protagonist.

THE FLORENCE MARATHON

Every year there is plenty of marathons organised all around the world, 80 of which take place in Italy.

In the Italian top list, the Florence Marathon comes straight after the Rome and Venice ones. It is also in the list of the top 20 international marathons, and year by year it is showing very good chances of getting to one of the first places. The race, which is looking forward to its 18th year in the athletics calendar, has a reputation for friendliness and innovation. The Florence Marathon broke the record of registrations last year, with 6128 athletes running the competitive races (the Marathon and the associated Half Marathon) plus 1130 children who run the Mini Run.

With its 18° edition coming up, let's have a look at the main characteristics of the Florence Marathon : technical level beauty of the route international relevance technical level The Florence Marathon was inaugurated by the victory of Orlando Pizzolato, many times winner of the New York City Marathon, and it has had during its history many other internationally known runners. Winning times have varied between 2:10 and 2:20. The course record was set in 1999 by Michele Gamba, who crossed the finish line in 2:11:51, one of the best performances ever. This shows that the route is not only one of the most beautiful in the world, but it is also fast.

The women's course record was set by Tiziana Alagia, who won the Florence Marathon 2000 with a time of 2:32:01. The route has been recently renewed, and it is particurarly appreciated by the marathoners, because it is entirely flat and lies along tarmac roads. Weather conditions are usually good, so that they contribute to achieve the best performance. beauty of the route The Florence Marathon takes place in one of the most fascinating cities in the world and its route takes the runners through the heart of it, filled with monuments and artistic sights. The race starts off at Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia (Biblioteca Nazionale),leaving the breathtaking Ponte Vecchio behind, and it finishes at Piazza Santa Croce (200 hundreds metres away from the start).

Half course is run within the historycal town centre, and the remainder across the Cascine Monument and National Park. The event has also a touristy connotation: the marathoners never come alone , because their families, partners and friends come along taking advantage of the low season hotel fares, attracted to the city and to the idea of a Christmas shopping in Florence. international relevance You can find the Florence Marathon in the official calendar of international marathons, having got the AIMS certificate and the IAAF permit. In January 1987 and then again in March 1998, the Florence Marathon was invited by the city of Kyoto to represent the city of Florence in the Kyoto Internation Half Marathon. In 1996, the race welcomed an athlete from Kuwait, who reached the finish in a time under 2:30: it was a very important event, since that was the very first time a person from Kuwait participated in a sports competition abroad since the War in the Gulf.

An increasing number of runners come from across the national boundaries: in 2000 numbers went up by an extraordinary 30% at 2080 , split between the Marathon and the associated Half Marathon. 42 different nationalities were counted (see attachment for details). This was a record for the event. This huge increase in foreigners was mainly due to the creation of a new Florence Marathon website in May 2000, www.firenzemarathon.it and www.firenzemarathon.com.

The enrolment forms downloaded from the website that we received amounted to 1.400, 903 of which from abroad. Our internet provider registered over 800 visitors a day in the four weeks before the race, and the number peaked (5000) in the first two days that followed the race, due to the publishment of results, photos and press release. Please find attached the detailed report on the number of daily visitors to our website.

THE FITWALKING

Last year it was the first time for the Florence Marathon to incorporate a 10 km noncompetitive walk as a part of the event programme. It is open to anyone willing to enjoy the beauty of Florence walking at a free pace on a short distance free from the car traffic.

The Fitwalking was organised in response to a project supported and promoted by the ex olimpic champion Giorgio Damilano, now President of The Italian Association of Walking. As he puts it, " the Fitwalking is the response to new demands from society. People have been obsessed by fitness for years, and now we have come to a turning point. What people are now looking for is wellness: they want to do sports which do not involve negative side effects, without too much stress, without risks for their health and their bodies, as shown by the thousands of people who participate in the walk of the New York Marathon every year. So let's welcome these pleasant 10 km.!"

MINI RUN

The Mini Run is a part of the Florence Marathon event programme. It is run on a distance of 1km by kids from the age of 6 to 14. Its aim is to involve young people in doing physical activity and playing sport.

PHOTOS

START OF FLORENCE MARATHON

START OF MINI RUN

MARATHON FINISH