Di Corsa per Serino - Felice Pellecchia Memorial

A race that serves as an act of remembrance

Di Corsa per Serino - Felice Pellecchia Memorial is more than just a road race: it is the town's chosen way to keep the memory of one of its most beloved sons alive. The event takes place every year on April 25th in Serino, a town in the province of Avellino, in the heart of Irpinia. It combines popular sport, civic celebration, and shared remembrance into a single morning. The event is organized by the Municipality of Serino in collaboration with the Bartolo Longo Association of Pompeii, the sports club with which Pellecchia ran for many years.

Ten kilometers through the town streets

The course measures 10 kilometers and winds entirely through the local streets, starting and finishing in Piazza Cicarelli, in front of the town hall. It is a road race, not a trail: suitable for those chasing a personal best, but hilly enough to test the legs, as Serino stretches at the foot of Mount Terminio along the Sabato river valley, with its districts connected by a series of ups and downs. The starting gun fires at 9:00 AM, when the square is already buzzing with athletes in their jerseys and residents watching from their windows.

Who was Felice Pellecchia

Felice Pellecchia was a passionate marathon runner from Serino who completed over fifty marathons in his career. He also ran the world-famous New York City Marathon, where he distinguished himself with a first-place finish in his category, and was an Italian champion for the Bartolo Longo Sports Movement in the M55 category. He earned the title of Sports Veteran for finishing five marathons in under 2 hours and 40 minutes. As Deputy Mayor Donato Di Zenzo noted during the presentation, Pellecchia "brought prestige to the name of Serino not only nationally but internationally." He passed away at 61, and the town has dedicated this race to him ever since.

An event that grows with every edition

Launched in 2023, the event has seen steady growth: the previous edition reached nearly 300 registered runners and attracts athletes from all over Central and Southern Italy every year, including clubs from Campania, Puglia, and Basilicata. There are always stories that capture the crowd's attention, such as the presence of two octogenarian participants at the starting line. Among the innovations introduced with the fourth edition is an unusually generous awards system: prizes for the first one hundred male athletes and all women who cross the finish line, a choice designed to encourage greater female participation.

April 25th in Serino

The date is no coincidence: running on the day of the Liberation Day holiday turns the race into a civic event, with the community gathering in the square before and after the run. Refreshments and the awards ceremony follow, while the town remains lively throughout the day. For those arriving from out of town, it is also an opportunity to discover a corner of Campania less frequented by mass tourism: Serino is one of the gateways to the Monti Picentini Regional Park, a land of springs, chestnut groves, and small Irpinian villages just a few kilometers from the provincial capital, Avellino.

How to participate

• Distance: 10 km road race (measured at 9,990 meters in editions managed by Camelot Sport)
• Start: 9:00 AM from Piazza Cicarelli, in front of the Town Hall
• Registration: via the timing company, closing in the days immediately preceding the race
• Awards: first one hundred men and all classified women
• Technical Sponsor: Givova

The event is presented annually at a press conference at the Serino Town Hall, attended by Mayor Vito Pelosi, Deputy Mayor Donato Di Zenzo, and organizer Massimo De Vizia.