Sixteen thousand athletes took part this morning, Sunday 22 October, in the 37th edition of the Venice marathon, a sporting event that welcomed participants from 80 different nations. The top two finishers are the same as last year: in the main race, which started at 9.40 in front of Villa Pisani in Stra, Ugandan Solomon Mutai won, setting the record by completing the route in 2 hours, 7 minutes and 41 minutes. seconds. In second place was the Kenyan Emmanuel Naibei, 1 second behind. Third place went to Kenyan Kiprotich Kigen Noah, with a time of 2 hours 8 minutes and 18 seconds.
Among the women, the Kenyan Rebbecca Tanui was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 32 seconds, ahead of the Ethiopian Kebene Chala, who was 1 minute and 3 seconds behind, and the Ethiopian Bedada Tigist, spaced 2 minutes and 32 seconds apart.
The Venicemarathon, a running race recognized by Fidal, is included in the international World Athletics calendar. The 42 kilometer race was broadcast live on Raisport and RaiPlay. The itinerary, starting from Stra, crossed the Brenta Riviera, Marghera, Mestre and then the Libertà bridge, to end in Riva dei Sette Martiri in Venice. The 21 kilometer race started in Piazza Ferretto in Mestre, while the shorter distance, that of 10 kilometres, was from San Giuliano park. The runners of the “Lilt for Women”, organized as part of Pink October, also tried their hand at the same route.
Present, representing the municipal administration, was councilor Paolino D’Anna: «This extraordinary event has united the Brenta Riviera with Venice for 37 years – he commented -. Thanks go to Piero Rosa Salva, who created this event, and to all the volunteers who work night and day, often behind the scenes, for the success of the event which, like every year, sees many enthusiasts taking part». «A beautiful sunny day which saw great participation both at a competitive and non-competitive level – added the deputy mayor and councilor for sport Andrea Tomaello – and an edition which is once again confirmed as a great success given the number of attendances. I thank all the volunteers who are committed to organizing this important day of sport.”
The work of the entire organizational machine was fundamental, allowing the event to run smoothly. Thanks to the coordination of the local police, the road system was remodeled to guarantee the flow of traffic in the areas affected by the passage of athletes. The commitment of the civil protection was also substantial and with 500 volunteers involved, it manned intersections and pedestrian crossings and guaranteed the movement of materials and personnel.
The winners of the marathons were awarded by deputy mayor Tomaello, while metropolitan councilor Matteo Senno awarded the port authority group. In the 21 kilometers the success among the men went to Kimutai Erik Too who preceded Quail Tabroura and Pedro Jesus Galan. Among women, Claudia Andrighettoni confirms first place as last year, Vanina Dal Santo in second place and Federica Panciera in third place. In the men’s field, the first to cross the finish line of the 10 km was Federico Valandro, who preceded Lorenzo Valota and Enrico Maguolo. The women’s race was won by Dilletta Moressa, ahead of Vanda Lovei and Giulia Delgado. At the end of the event, in addition to the first place winners in the various categories, recognition was also given to the women protagonists of “Lilt for Women”.
The post first appeared on www.veneziatoday.it