See Naples and … run

Thanks to its mixture of disparate historical periods and cultures it is constantly fascinating. Come to see for yourself. And why not discover it in your running shoes?

The Napoli City Half Marathon, this year held for the first time under the umbrella of Napoli Running, offers you a great opportunity to sense this mischievous yet artistic and elegant city on the Mediterranean.

The race is held at the beginning of February, the month of love, with an average temperature of 10°C, which together with almost no wind creates perfect conditions for running in winter at a time when there are fewer races taking place in Europe.

The certified course leads you through the most attractive parts of the city. Starting from J. F. Kennedy Avenue you run the first part of the race through the Fuorigrotta district. You pass by the Posillipo Gallery, Piazza Sannazaro and then enter the waterfront area with the beautiful Siren’s fountain. Continuing on your way along the seafront for almost three kilometres you will get a lift from the amazing views.

On your way you pass by the Castel dell’Ovo (originally built in the 12th century by the Normans), Plebiscito Square (the City’s most famous square), the majestic Teatro San Carlo, the Castel Nuovo (another Neapolitan symbol) and the Duomo Cathedral. These sights will energise you and provide enough of a boost to get you to the finish line in the Mostra d’Oltremare area. Just few hundred metres before the finish line you will be confronted by the spectacular Fontana dell’Esedra.

Over 4200 runners participated in this last race, an increased of more than 52% over the previous edition. The entry limit was increased but because of the huge interest registration had to be closed three weeks prior to the event with the capacity fully reached. Some hundreds of runners didn’t manage to get a start number.

The 2017 race also had other exciting new developments. The race records were bettered by large margins: Philip Kibungei Tarbei – a RunCzech racer from Kenya – improved the men’s record by more than three minutes and Eva Vrabcova the women’s by more than five. Vrabcova’s winning time qualified the RunCzech racer to compete in the World Championships Marathon in London this August.

After you receive your well-deserved medal and refreshments at the finish you can reward yourself with some of the most delicious pizza you will find anywhere in the world – it is just a “must” in Naples. And you should definitely stay few a more days in Naples to explore this very real Italian city and its surroundings.

Naples is built on tuff, a soft, volcanic stone, and tor the past 2500 years residents from the ancient Greeks on up to today have made use of this tuff by digging chambers and passageways beneath the city. Naples’ subterranean gems include everything from ancient Greek aqueducts and pagan burial chambers to Christian catacombs and World War II air raid shelters. Naples has another whole other city underground.

It is also perfectly situated to visit some of Italy’s finest sights: Pompeii and Herculaneum on the mighty slopes of Vesuvius, the fabled islands Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Bay of Naples and the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

As Boccaccio wrote in the Decameron: “The ancient city of Naples is perhaps the most delightful of all Italian towns…”

Napoli Running is a project dedicated to encouraging a healthy lifestyle and promoting running and tourism in the beautiful Metropolitan area of Naples. It was founded by Carlo Capalbo and the local organisers to bring the Napoli City Marathon and the Coast to Coast Sorrento Positano Marathon & Half (held in December on the stunning Amalfi coastline) under the same umbrella. Besides these two events Napoli Running, led by the Neapolitan chair of the IAAF Road Running Commission and the organiser of the RunCzech Running League, Carlo Capalbo, is also planning to bring about the rebirth of the Napoli International Marathon.