San Marzano Runs

San Marzano Runs: ten kilometres in the heart of the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese

San Marzano Runs is the competitive road race that, since autumn 2023, has drawn hundreds of runners from all over Campania to the town of San Marzano sul Sarno. The event is promoted by the A.S.D. In Time San Marzano Team Club and takes place on a flat, ten-kilometre urban course, with the start and finish lines located near the Urban Park on Via Enrico Berlinguer, in the province of Salerno.

The return of competitive running after ten years

The inaugural edition, held on Sunday, October 29, 2023, marked the return of road racing to San Marzano sul Sarno after a decade-long absence; the previous local race dated back to 2013. The initiative was born from the local sports club, chaired by Mauro Annunziata, with the stated goal of exceeding five hundred participants at its debut. The gamble paid off, and in subsequent years, the number of entries has continued to grow, surpassing six hundred in the most recent editions.

An urban course through the town streets

The route follows a single loop that crosses the main arteries of the town, with brief detours into neighboring territories. In the 2025 edition, the course, measured at 9.99 kilometres, specifically included:

• start and finish in the Urban Park area, along Via Enrico Berlinguer;
• Viale 8 Marzo, Viale Roma, Via Pendino, and Via Martiri della Loggia;
• Via Capitano Oliva, Piazza Umberto I, Via Vittorio Veneto, and Via Manzini;
• Via Salvo D'Acquisto, Via Marconi, Via Battisti, Via Gramsci, and Via Manzoni;
• border sections of Via delle Industrie Taurania, in the territory of Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino, and Via Orta Longa, towards Angri;
• the final return via Via Petrarca and back onto Via Berlinguer.

The surface is entirely paved and without significant elevation changes: a configuration that makes the race suitable both for competitive runners looking for a personal best over ten kilometres and for amateur runners, who are allowed a maximum time of 120 minutes.

A morning of sport and community

The race takes place on a Sunday morning, with an early dawn gathering and the start around 8:30 AM, when the town streets are closed to traffic to make way for the colorful stream of runners. The race fosters a true community festival: families watching from their balconies, sports groups arriving by bus from neighboring towns, refreshment stations along the route, and the final awards ceremony in the green area of the Urban Park. All registered participants receive a race pack, with category prizes and travel reimbursements for the largest teams—a formula that has contributed to the rapid growth in participation.

Records and protagonists

In the 2024 edition, held on Sunday, October 20, with over six hundred athletes at the start and Mayor Andrea Annunziato acting as the starter, victory went to Marco Vetrano (Atletica Nolana), who finished in 33'44", and Michela Piermatteo (Antoniana Runners - Atletica Scafati), the first woman in 42'13". Among the teams, the largest group was the Nocera Runners Folgore. The third edition took place on Sunday, November 9, 2025, confirming the event's autumn slot.

San Marzano sul Sarno and the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese

With just over ten thousand inhabitants and a territory of only five square kilometres, San Marzano sul Sarno is one of the most densely populated municipalities in the province of Salerno. It is located in the heart of the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese, the agricultural plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Lattari Mountains, a few kilometres from Angri, Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino, Scafati, and Sarno. It is an area with a great agricultural and canning tradition, where local sports events have always had strong popular roots: San Marzano Runs has integrated itself into this network of Campanian running events, becoming one of the most attended races in the Salerno autumn in just a few editions.

Who it is for

The event is open to athletes registered with federations and recognized sports promotion bodies, according to the categories provided by the regulations: youth, junior, promising, senior, and master, both men and women. The entry fee is intentionally kept low and includes chip timing, a race pack, and refreshments. It is an accessible event that combines the competitive dimension with the more convivial atmosphere of a Sunday run among friends.