Venicemarathon: just 1,500 race numbers available!

Just 1,500 bib numbers remain available for the 24^th Venicemarathon

If you want to ensure the possibility of taking part to the race, we suggest you not to wait! It is easy to register and you can choose one among these possibilities:

- online, paying by credit card (click here):

- by paper form (to be sent via post or fax) with payment by bank wire transfer (click here and follow the instructions)

Remember that if you ran the Venicemarathon in 2007 or 2008 you are entitled to a discount of € 20,00. Just insert your Venicemarathon Fidelity Program code in the space provided in the registration form.

Please remember that we have accommodation packages for every kind of needs: click here to download our catalogue. If you prefer to be part of a group contact our tour operator in your country.

Venicemarathon, Zanardi and Pistorius support charity with 500 special bibs

Bimbingamba is a charity project created by Alex Zanardi, the former Formula 1 and Formula CART pilot, and Sergio Campo, the founder members of the Association Niccolò Campo, which aims to supply disabled children with prosthesis after road accidents, diseases or wars.

In agreement with the testimonials: Alex Zanardi and Oscar Pistorius, Venicemarathon has decided to make available 500 special bib numbers, in addition to the 6,000 ones usually available for the participation in the Venicemarathon.

These race numbers will cost € 20,00 more than the current entry fees and the surplus will be given to the charity Association: Bimbingamba. They will be special bib numbers in all senses, in fact they will be graphically different from the others and autographed by Alex Zanardi and Oscar Pistorius, too.

Click here for further information.

The Organizing Committee presented the 24^th Venicemarathon

Oscar Pistorius and Alex Zanardi have given the start to the final sprint to the 24^th Venicemarathon, two great champions by the side of Venicemarathon for a message of solidarity.

The Paralympic multichampion in 100, 200 and 400 meters and the famous Formula 1 and Formula Cart pilot, who is now the protagonist of a lot of hand bike races, together with the Organizing Committee and the Institutions introduced to the press and the citizens the 24^th edition of Venicemarathon and all its social and supportive projects.

Alex will start the 24^th Venicemarathon like one of the favorite hand bikers, while Oscar will delight in running the Family Run, a 4 km non competitive race open to families and that takes place the day before the marathon. Both athletes will be in Venice to support the project "Accessible Venice – the barriers are overcome by running” too. This initiative promoted by the Council of Venice and realized thanks to the sensibility of the organizing committee of Venicemarathon provides the extension of the period in which the wooden ramps on the 13 bridges along the marathon course remain available in order to make easier the visit and the accessibility of the city for the disabled people.

"I'm very honored to be the testimonial of this important project - the South African champion said - and this year I'm going to be more active taking part in the Family Run in San Giuliano's Park. After the World Championship of Berlin, it could be a very worrying race!"

Also Alex is strongly involved in the promotion of the project regarding the increase of the accessibility of Venice: "I would like to help to publicize more and more this great initiative that makes Venice accessible to people on wheelchair or anyone who has difficulties in overcoming the bridges and the architectural barriers of this city. This kind of people usually avoid getting out of their house, because they are afraid of the difficulties. For this reason I 'll take part in Venicemarathon and I'll try to run the hand bike race in my best way."

One of the social project in which Venicemarathon will be involved in is Bimbingamba, a project of the Association Niccolò Campo to supply disabled children with prosthesis after road accidents, diseases or wars. Alex is the testimonial of this initiative and has decided to use his acquaintance and experience acquired after the awful accident in 2001 during a car race in the circuit of Lausitzring that caused the amputation of his both legs, to speed up the waiting time, in order to supply prosthesis and give a new normal life to these children as soon as possible.

Inscriptions continue to register an incredible increase. 4,000 bib numbers have already been assigned, probably because athletes know that we have been obliged to fix the cap at 6,000 runners, due to Venetian logistic necessities. It's the first time in the Venicemarathon history that in July the 70% of the places available has been sold.

This important result has been surely reached thanks to the project "Veneto - Run between earth and sky", too, an initiative supported by Veneto Region and realized by Venicemarathon together with the Marathon of St. Anthony of Padua and the Treviso Marathon, which aims to promote the sports tourism in this area.

A research commissioned by the Venicemarathon Club to a specialized agency has spotlighted that the 63,3% of foreign participants choose Venicemarathon because of its possibility to match sport and tourism together, while the 71% of the athletes resident outside Italy declares that their participation to this race has been a reason to visit the city of Venice for their first time. In economic terms, the research has also highlighted that Venicemarathon has enriched the territory with 8 millions of Euros each year, with an increase of 30% during the last seven years and a great promotion of the event and of its territory thanks to over than 1,000 articles in national and international news media, 3 hours of live broadcast on RAI in 29 Countries and an important share. The Riviera of Brenta, Mestre, Venice and their neighboring cities host every year over than 6,000 athletes together with their families and friends with a percentage of 30% of foreign people. Moreover, about 2,000 of operators and suppliers of the race, of Exposport and all the collateral events should be added.

As for the commercial aspect the confirmation of the last year main partners shows that the event has a good appeal even in this period of unfavorable economic situation. In fact the technical sponsor Asics will be part of Venicemarathon till 2010, year of the 25^th Anniversary of the marathon. Also Powerade, the Sports Drink of the Coca-Cola Company, confirms its presence and it will refresh all marathoners along the course and at the final refreshment station of the marathon, together with Yakult, the special drink that keeps the intestine healthy.

The significant collaboration established in the last years with other important companies has been confirmed: Banco San Marco, Groupama, Oviesse, Insula, Gruppo Veritas, San Benedetto, ACTV, Vela, Coldiretti, Palmisano and Russott Hotel, while the important collaboration with Casinò di Venezia is under renewal.

Finally Radio Deejay will be also for this edition the Venicemarathon official radio.

Among the suppliers, Suunto, Alpro Soya and Mentos (a Perfetti Van Melle brand) will support Venicemarathon for the first time.

Run for Water – more than 35,000 Euros raised in 2008

Venicemarathon increases its commitment in "Run for Water, Run for Life", the project managed by Africa Mission - Cooperazione e Sviluppo to raise funds for digging wells in Uganda.

Thanks to the wide fund-raising realized in 2008, 35,157.50 Euros have been earmarked for the digging of two wells which, along with the others built in 2006 and 2007 for a total of six wells, will satisfy the needs of drinking water of the students of two secondary schools in the Moroto district and of the inhabitants of the shanty town Nakapelimen, for a total of 4,000 people.

This fund-raising for Uganda was born in 2006 and the campaign was carried out only with solidarity SMS, but since 2007 the donation has included also part of the registration fees at the two Family Runs, the non-competitive races open to families which take places every year on the Saturday before the marathon in Mestre inside San Giuliano's Park and in Dolo too, and the contribution of the Civil Defense Groups.

Since last year other initiatives have joined this project: the possibility for athletes to donate a free offer at the registration moment, the donation of the association "Ancient Dragons" and "Best Day for Bikers" (dedicate to the phisically disabled bikers in Marghera), the sale of handmade products of Cooperazione and Sviluppo and the sale of 7,000 technical t-shirts realized by Venicemarathon Club and Radio Deejay, that corresponds to a third of the total amount collected.

In these days the Organizing Committee is organizing the 2009 raising-fund campaign through the solidarity SMS, with the cooperation of the four most important mobile companies (TIM, Vodafone, Wind and 3) and Telecom Italia, in order to continue in helping Ugandan people, together with the donations offer by the marathoners.

The Venicemarathon Shop is open!

Finally, the customized Venicemarathon products of Asics are now available online! You could see the images of all the articles, choose their sizes and their colors and order the items, just with a click!

Click here to enter in the store page!