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Event Information:
The
Florence Marathon (Italian: Maratona
di Firenze) is an annual full-length
marathon race which takes place in
late November in Florence, Italy.
Established in 1984, the
international competition has
significantly grown in size since
its inaugural edition of 462
runners, it received a record
10,000 entries for the 2009 race. It
holds IAAF Label Road Race status.
Orlando Pizzolato, a two-time New
York Marathon winner, was present to
inaugurate the race in 1984. The
competition's first course was about
a kilometre short of the true
marathon distance, and it was
increased for all subsequent
editions. The current course, which
was created in 2001, starts at the
Piazzale Michelangelo and finishes
in Piazza Santa Croce. It passes
through much of Florence's
historical town centre, with
architecture dating from the 13th
century, including: Piazza della
Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, and the
Basilica of Santa Croce.
The
course of the race traces a winding
path (initially heading west) and it
repeatedly zigzags back on itself as
it passes many of the touristic
sights of the city. This makes it a
particularly difficult marathon as
runners have to contend with the
course's many bends, as well as
cobblestone roads. The race begins
by gently going uphill, continues
with a downhill section between the
2–5 km marks, and features a largely
flat course from this point until
the finish. An AIMS-certified
course, it has an overall net drop
of 75 m thus it is ineligible for
world records
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