The 2024 Return of the Half Marathon Race, Runs & Walks

Runners take your marks; the International Half Marathon Firenze is this Sunday, April 7.  Buses that run downtown will be detoured from their normal routes that morning until early afternoon.

The organization strives to be as eco-friendly as possible, and supports a charity each year. The popular Half Marathon Village, full of sports themed events and information booths, will be set up all weekend in Piazza Santa Croce as a gathering point for the athletes and their families.

The event has three different races for runners of all ages and skill levels. The classic Half Marathon (13.1 miles – 21km) is open to all Italian and foreign athletes enrolled in USIP, FIDAL and other athletic associations. Runners are required to have a medical certification and have already registered online for a fee, which includes a race bib.  The starting time is at 9:30 am from Lungarno della Zecca, near the Biblioteca Nazionale.

The course, which is completely flat asphalt, leads athletes along a winding course through the Renaissance city, passing all the greatest monuments that made it so famous. Runners will race past Lungarno, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza Santa Croce, across the river to Oltrarno, finishing at Corso dei Tintori.

For runners of other skill levels, other race options include the Mezzoperuno, a relay that divides the course into two equal distances for two runners who want to take a slower jog around the city. Other choices include Non-Competitive 8k (5 mile) and 5k (3.1 mile) runs, and the Charity Walk, a tour at 10, 10:45 and 11:30 am during which guides will illustrate the lives of famous women whose residences are found along the itinerary in the Santa Croce neighborhood.  Signups for the Non-Competitive 8k are still open on Saturday and Sunday at the stands located in Piazza Santa Croce.  Reservations for the Charity Walk are mandatory at  camminare@uispfirenze.it, along with a donation of €10 for adults and €7 for kids up to 14, which will be given to the Firenze in Rosa onlus which supports breast cancer patients.