Capital Ecomarathon

Running in the other Rome

When people think of running in the Capital, they imagine the Forums, the Colosseum, and the Tiber riverbanks. The Capital Ecomarathon offers the exact opposite: a route entirely immersed in the greenery of the Decima Malafede Nature Reserve, the largest protected area of the Appia Antica Regional Park, located in the south-western quadrant of the Municipality of Rome. Here, the Roman countryside remains as it has always been—turkey oak woods, Mediterranean scrub, gullies, farmhouses, and vast agricultural horizons—just a few kilometers from the Grande Raccordo Anulare ring road.

An event born from the school of ultramarathons

The organization is entrusted to the ASD Club Super Marathon Italia, a historic association in long-distance running, which aimed to provide Rome with an ecological race on mixed terrain capable of engaging with the circuit of Italian ecomarathons. The race is included in the FIDAL national calendar as a trail event and has awarded IUTA Italian ecomarathon titles on the longest distance in previous editions, an element that has brought top-tier athletes to the starting line alongside the mass of amateur runners.

The route

The start and finish are located at Sport City Roma on Via Álvaro del Portillo, in the Trigoria district. Competitors immediately take the Portillo cycle path, pass in front of the Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, and then head into the heart of the reserve on a loop that is repeated one, two, or more times depending on the chosen distance.

• 43 km — the flagship distance, with overall and category rankings;
• 21.5 km — the half-ecomarathon, the most popular event;
• 8.5 km — a single loop, also open to recreational walking and Nordic walking.

The terrain is predominantly dirt, with sections of paved cycle path and beaten earth trails that can become muddy after winter rains: trail shoes are highly recommended. The elevation gain is gentle, without harsh climbs, but the constant rolling hills of the Roman countryside make the pace anything but predictable.

A January for running in Lazio

Held on the last weekend of January, the Ecomarathon effectively opens the Lazio running season and is part of a weekend traditionally rich in events in the region. For many Roman marathon runners, it represents the first long test of the year, a field check of winter training in view of the major spring marathons. For others, it is simply an opportunity to discover a piece of municipal territory that one usually crosses by car without ever truly seeing it.

Sport, nature, and outreach

The ecological footprint is not just in the name. The event focuses on reducing waste at refreshment points, promoting the reserve as a common good for Romans, and maintaining a deliberately informal atmosphere, with prizes that favor typical Lazio products over cash awards. The short 8.5-kilometer format, which can also be walked, has turned the event into a small neighborhood festival for families and sports groups from the 9th Municipality.

Information

The event takes place in Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region. Registrations, updated regulations, and fees are published on the ASD Club Super Marathon Italia website in the weeks leading up to the race.