La Corsa di Miguel

A race that tells a story

La Corsa di Miguel is no ordinary road race. Established in 2000 by a group of sports journalists and athletics enthusiasts, it is dedicated to the memory of Miguel Benancio Sánchez, an Argentine middle-distance runner and poet who was kidnapped by the military dictatorship in January 1978 and never seen again. Since then, every third Sunday of January, the City of Rome hosts an event at the Foro Italico that combines competition, poetry, and a stand against all forms of racism and discrimination. Over time, it has become one of the most iconic fixtures on the sporting calendar of the capital and the entire Lazio region.

The route: ten kilometers along the Tiber

The main race covers just under 10 kilometers (9.9 km, officially recognized as a 10k distance) and is a certified regional road race. It starts at Lungotevere Maresciallo Diaz, near the Stadio dei Marmi Pietro Mennea, and runs almost entirely on flat ground along the river: Lungotevere Cadorna, Lungotevere Fellini, Lungotevere della Vittoria, Piazza del Fante, Viale Carso, Lungotevere Oberdan, Ponte Risorgimento, Lungotevere Flaminio, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano, Ponte Milvio, Via Capoprati, Via degli Olimpionici, Via Morra di Lavriano, and finally Viale dei Gladiatori.

The final kilometer is the reason many sign up: competitors enter the Stadio Olimpico and finish their effort on the athletics track, crossing the line under the Tevere Grandstand. For amateur runners, it is an unforgettable experience, which explains why the event has grown to attract over fifteen thousand total participants.

Three races, one Foro Italico

• The 10k — a competitive and non-competitive race, with staggered wave starts and top athletes from military sports groups.
• Generazione Miguel — a 5km fun run starting from Piazzale Ponte Milvio, designed primarily for Roman school students.
• Strantirazzismo — a symbolic 3km run starting from the Ponte della Musica and arriving at the Stadio dei Marmi: the most crowded and colorful part of the morning, featuring thousands of students from schools across Lazio.

Sport, solidarity, and inclusion

The event has always collaborated with the non-profit sector: in recent years, organizations like Emergency and Amnesty International have participated, while joëlettes allow people with disabilities to complete the course accompanied by volunteer teams. The 2026 edition also launched the Onda Donna initiative, promoted by Olympic champion Antonella Bellutti to increase female participation in road races.

An appointment in the heart of the Foro Italico

The event headquarters is the Foro Italico, a 1930s monumental complex housing the Stadio dei Marmi, the Stadio Olimpico, and the Palestra Monumentale, where race bibs and kits are collected in the days leading up to the event. The meeting point is from 7:00 AM: between warm-ups, running club flags, and entire school classes, the atmosphere is more like a city festival than a competition.

Why it's worth attending

Those who come to Rome for La Corsa di Miguel find a fast, scenic course, ideal for chasing a personal best at the start of the season, but also an event that takes its content seriously: poetry readings, awards for sports journalism and schools, and testimonies regarding the Argentine desaparecidos. It is one of the few occasions where a mass sporting event in the capital manages to be popular, competitive, and socially conscious all at once.