Acea Run Rome The Marathon
Rome, Italy · March · World Athletics Label
Why people love it
- Start by the Colosseum, finish at the Circus Maximus, with St Peter's and Piazza Navona between.
- Mostly flat, about 110 m (360 ft) of gain, near sea level.
- Water, Powerade and fruit every 5 km (3 mi), sponges every 2.5 km (1.6 mi).
- Open entry with no qualifier and fees often under USD 140.
Watch out for
- Cobbles over much of 30 to 40 km (19 to 25 mi); slippery when wet.
- Italian entry needs a sports medical certificate and, for non-club runners, a Runcard.
- Crowded start pens and a dense pack for the first 19 km (12 mi).
- Registration emails and pickup signage confused runners in 2026.
- Weather swings between rain and 23 °C (73 °F) heat.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Tough
- Racer satisfactionLoved4.3
About 4.3 to 4.6 of 5 across 26 ratings; one 2026 runner called it his best race. Cobbles late on are the main drag. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run3.6
Aid and staff score well, but runners report confusing registration, failed 2026 emails, hard-to-find pens, a chaotic village in 2024 and poor pickup signage. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.4
Mostly flat at about 110 m (360 ft) gain with frequent aid. Cobbles, a crowded start and the medical certificate requirement add friction. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialAverage3.2
Mass runners lose rhythm on cobbles from 30 to 40 km (19 to 25 mi), tight turns and a dense pack. GPS read long. · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course scenerySpectacular4.8
Colosseum, Circus Maximus, St Peter's, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona draw praise from every review. The zoo and Foro Italico stretch is duller. · High confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points3.0
2026 runners say the pack never thinned for 19 km (12 mi). 2025 had an early bottleneck. The final streets are narrow. · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceMixed2.5
Cobbles are the defining complaint, estimated from 6 to 13 km (3.7 to 8 mi) up to 20% of the route. Slippery in rain. · High confidence
- Road closuresMostly closed4.3
Central roads close, but tourists and pedestrians step into the narrow final kilometres. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessMostly flat4.0
Gain reported at 100 to 118 m (330 to 387 ft), plus a climb near 28 km (17 mi). · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Start and finish are a few hundred metres apart in the centre, so no net change. Boston-eligible. · High confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSome waiting3.2
2018 waves and bag drop ran smoothly, but 2024 and 2026 runners found pens hard to reach, poor signage and long toilet and bag queues. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingGood3.7
Pace groups were seen in 2021 and 2025 and chip timing is standard. The full range of groups is not confirmed. · Low confidence
- Crowd supportStrong3.5
Bands, residents and tourists cheer in the centre and hymns ring out near St Peter's. Outer sections are thinner; reviewers call it good, not overwhelming. · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsGood3.8
Water, sports drink and fruit every 5 km (3 mi), sponges every 2.5 km (1.6 mi). Sponges ran out in 2018. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.9
No reviewer mentions wind and the route runs among buildings and trees. Few athletes have written about it. · Low confidence
- Air temperaturePleasant3.9
Mid-March mornings run about 9 °C (48 °F), rising to 18 °C (64 °F). April editions reached 23 to 24 °C (73 to 75 °F). · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.3
Rain or storms in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023, and heat in 2018. Both change how the cobbles run. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlyEasy3.7
The loop stays within a few kilometres of the centre, so supporters can reach several points. Spectators were kept out of the 2018 finish area. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level5.0
The route stays between about 15 and 40 m (50 and 130 ft) above sea level. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood4.4
A major tourist city with a huge range of hotels and apartments. · Medium confidence
- Hotel valueNormal3.0
Rome hotels are not cheap, but mid-March is shoulder season. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.2
The start by the Colosseum and finish at the Circus Maximus are walkable from central hotels or one Metro B stop. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeEasy4.3
Fiumicino is about 30 km (19 mi) away with trains and buses; Ciampino serves budget flights. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSome complexity2.8
Medical certificate and Runcard paperwork, confusing registration emails, an expo out in EUR and poor signage between pickups. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGreat4.9
Pasta the night before is easy, and the sights are the course. · High confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inEasy3.7
No qualifier or ballot, but the 2026 edition sold out with a record field. The medical certificate step trips up foreign runners. · Medium confidence
- Value for moneyGood value3.9
Fees of EUR 63 to 127 (about USD 70 to 140). Medal, shirt and bag are praised, though one 5K medal was small. · Medium confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Rome, Lazio, Italy
- Typical month
- March
- Latest or next date
- 14 March 2027
- Organiser
- World Athletics Label
- Field size
- About 21,000 athletes
- First held
- 1982
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- loop
- Climbing
- 110 m (360 ft)
- Start time
- 08:10
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Asphalt with long cobbled (sampietrini) sections, mostly between 30 and 40 km (19 and 25 mi)
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Yes
- Entry fee
- About $100
- Air temperature
- 9–18 °C (48–64 °F)
- Humidity
- Moderate
- Altitude
- 30 m (98 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Rome Fiumicino (FCO); also Ciampino (CIA), 30 km (19 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Monti, Celio, Centro Storico, Termini
- Booking
- Plenty of hotels but not cheap in the centre; book early. Stay within walking distance or one Metro B ride of Colosseo.
What racers and reviewers say
- RacecheckRaced 2025 · aggregator · Positive
4.6 of 5 all-time, 4.86 for 2025. Runners love the Colosseum start and the new Circus Maximus finish, praise water and sponge stations, and accept the cobbles as part of Rome. Complaints: a 2024 runner found pens nearly impossible to reach and the village chaotic, early bottlenecks, potholes, and long-measuring GPS.
- RaceRavesRaced 2026 · aggregator · mixed-positive
4.3 of 5, scenery 4.6, production 3.9. Everyone praises the sights; nearly everyone warns about cobbles, especially when wet. 2026 reviewers describe a crowded start, poor pickup signage and registration emails that failed. Older reviews mention sponge shortages and too few toilets.
“Everyone was limping afterwards with many people being attended to by paramedics”
- Team Run RunRaced 2021 · blog · Positive
Autumn 2021 edition with a 06:45 start in good weather. Few spectators but streets to themselves. Cobbles from 32 to 42 km (20 to 26 mi) need care but are milder than online warnings. Aid very good; ran with a 3:20 pace group early.
“How can you beat running through Rome with only runners in streets?”
- Sportsworld Running ClubRaced 2018 · blog · Positive
Hot, dry day around 23 to 24 °C (73 to 75 °F) with an exposed second half. Calm wave start and bag drop, aid every 5 km (3 mi) and sponges every 2.5 km (1.6 mi). Flat-topped cobbles were manageable when dry. Hymns near St Peter's and tourist crowds late on.
“The race is well organised”
- Gallus RunningRaced 2023 · blog · Positive
Scottish runners who raced in rain in 2023. Cobbles were not a problem even wet. Long toilet and bag queues at the start, plenty of food and water on course, a dull climb near 30 km (19 mi), narrow final streets with pedestrians. Expo is large but a Metro ride out; hotels pricey.
“There is always a wait for the toilets”
Show 3 more
- marathons.comRaced 2023 · article · Positive
Guide with a 2023 finisher's view: about 100 m (330 ft) gain, cobbles on about 20% of the route between 30 and 40 km (19 and 25 mi), aid every 5 km (3 mi), about 21,000 marathon finishers in 2025. The runner found the cobbles wide and even apart from a tight turn by Piazza del Popolo.
- Quotidiano SportRaced 2026 · article · Positive
2026 report: 08:10 start from the Imperial Forums, finish at the Circus Maximus, about 36,000 participants from 166 countries, women's course record of 2:22:44, and a 93-year-old finishing in 7:09:20.
- Wikipedia: Rome MarathonRaced 2026 · article · neutral
Reference facts: first held 1982, World Athletics Elite label, men's record 2:06:24 from 2024, earlier finisher counts of about 8,800 (2019) and 5,500 (2022).
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Sources
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