San Gaudenzio Half Marathon

A half marathon in the heart of the Novara plains

The San Gaudenzio Half Marathon is a staple of the Piedmontese running calendar. Every year in January, it attracts around a thousand athletes from all over Italy to tackle the classic 21.097 km distance. Named after the patron saint of nearby Novara, San Gaudenzio, the event is centered in Casalbeltrame, a small town in the Province of Novara, Piedmont, nestled within the rice fields of the Lower Novara area.

A fast course through five towns

The loop course winds through the territory of five municipalities: Casalbeltrame, Casalvolone, Villata, San Nazzaro Sesia, and Biandrate. It is well-known among specialists for being fast and flat, utilizing the country roads that cut through the Novara rice paddies—ideal conditions for those seeking a fast time, even if the crisp January weather tests the runners' endurance.

Competitive, non-competitive, and short-distance races

The event is an official FIDAL race (Italian Athletics Federation), organized by the FIDAL Provincial Committee of Novara in collaboration with local sports organizations. In addition to the competitive half marathon, there is a non-competitive version open to walkers and enthusiasts, as well as a shorter 10 km race, the San Gaudenzio Run, designed for those not ready to tackle the full half marathon distance.

An event for the entire Lower Novara area

The San Gaudenzio is much more than just a race: it is a day of celebration for the community, with hundreds of volunteers, law enforcement, and local Pro Loco associations working along the route. The race enlivens the villages it passes through and represents one of the best winter opportunities to discover the rural landscape of the Novara region, with its farmhouses, irrigation ditches, and the typical vistas of the Piedmontese rice-growing plains.