Verona Run Marathon 15 Nov: entries, the Arena and the course

The 25th Verona Run Marathon is on Sunday 15 November, and online entry closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 11. That gives you eight days to decide and twelve to prepare. The headline novelty is in the last kilometre: runners go through the Arena and then cross the line on the Liston in Piazza Bra. Here is what is confirmed and what is not, the paces for five finish times, and how to use these twelve days without doing damage.

Can you still enter the Verona Run Marathon?

Yes, but not for long. According to Corriere dello Sport, which covered the presentation on 12 October, online entry stays open until 23:59 on Wednesday 11 November. If bibs are left, you can also enter at the Expo, at the AGSM Forum (piazzale Atleti Azzurri d'Italia), on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November. Not on Sunday: there is no race-day entry, and Marathons.com says the same. Neither source gives the fee and we did not read it on the official site, so we do not print it: you will find it on the entry page.

One check before you pay: for a marathon in Italy you usually need a federation membership (or a RunCard) and a sports medical certificate. We have not read Verona's full rules, so confirm the exact requirements on the organiser's site.

What changes on the course: Piazza Bra, Castelvecchio and the Arena

After several years starting near the Bentegodi stadium, the marathon and the half go back to starting from Piazza Bra, corso di Porta Nuova. Both Corriere dello Sport and Telenuovo say so; Telenuovo broke the news at the presentation in the Veneto Region on 1 July. According to the Corriere, the course crosses the old town past Piazza Erbe, goes over the Ponte di Castelvecchio for the first time (around km 18), follows the Adige, reaches San Martino Buon Albergo to the east and comes back through Porta Vescovo around km 40. Note that the official site warns the route may change slightly at the authorities' request, so check the map in the days before.

The Arena has a small history of confirmations. In July Telenuovo wrote that the organisers were studying finishing the marathon inside the amphitheatre. In October Corriere dello Sport talks about a pass through the Arena in the last kilometre and a finish on the Liston. What we do not know: what the surface is like inside, and how tight the entrance is with thousands of people. That is our doubt, not a fact. The advice is the one for every marathon: look up only after the finish, because the passage comes at the end and by then your legs want to know where to put your feet.

How many runners, and when does it start?

The organisers expect about 15,000 participants from 100 countries (Corriere dello Sport and Telenuovo). Last year 12,000 started from 87 nations, the Corriere wrote in November 2025: a big jump, and in July, Telenuovo reported, entries were more than double the same point of 2025. Note that the 15,000 are marathon, half and Family Run together, not just marathoners. The race is a FIDAL Silver event, on the AIMS and World Athletics calendars.

The marathon starts at 9:00 from corso di Porta Nuova (official site). According to the sources we consulted the half starts at 8:00 and the Family Run, about 5 km through the centre and with no membership or certificate needed, at 11:15: we did not read the half and Family Run times on the official site, so confirm them. In 2025 the women's race was won by Alessia Tuccitto in 2:37:41 (Corriere dello Sport).

Divide the time by 42.195 and you get the average pace. The numbers are ours and ignore corners, aid stations and a crowded start. A 3:00 needs about 4:16 per km, 10 km in 42:40 and halfway in 1:30:00. A 3:30 is 4:59 per km, 10 km in 49:46, half in 1:45:00. A 4:00 is 5:41, 10 km in 56:53, half in 2:00:00. A 4:30 is 6:24, 10 km in 1:03:59, half in 2:15:00. A 5:00 is 7:07, 10 km in 1:11:06, half in 2:30:00. For the numbers that fit your own legs use our pace calculator.

A rule we like: if you have never run the distance, make the first 10 km slower than you feel like, by 5-10 seconds per km compared with goal pace. It is not a law, just our caution: starting slow costs a few seconds, starting fast you pay for after km 30.

The last 12 days: what to do and what not to

If you have trained up to now, the real weeks of work are over. From here the job is to take away, not add: fewer kilometres, but a few stretches at race pace to remind your legs how it feels. How to reduce the load is in our guide to tapering before a marathon. It is not medical advice: if you have health doubts or a niggle that will not go away, talk to your sports doctor.

Then the usual list, but of concrete things: shoes and socks already used on long runs, breakfast and gels already tried, clothing chosen from Saturday evening's forecast, bib pick-up at the Expo on Friday rather than Saturday if you can, to avoid queues and extra steps. In November at 9:00 in Verona it can be cold at the start and warm after the 20th kilometre: dress in layers you can remove or leave behind.

Verona or another marathon: the November alternatives

If the timing does not work or it feels too soon, according to Marathons.com the Palermo Marathon runs the same Sunday (8:30 start from Piazza Ruggero Settimo), a FIDAL bronze event. One listing shows ENDU entries closing on 15 October: check the organiser's site. Florence is on 29 November but it is sold out with a waiting list, and Turin runs the same day with entries open. For Florence, read our Florence Marathon guide.

In the 2027 Calendar Verona is listed on 21 November 2027, date still to be confirmed, and in the group rides you can find people for your long runs. A line to take away: in twelve days you do not prepare a marathon, you stop ruining it.

Your turn: are you running Verona on Sunday, or waiting for Florence? And does the Arena fill you with excitement or worry? Tell us in the comments.

Sources: Corriere dello Sport (12 October presentation, entries, Arena pass, numbers), Telenuovo (presentation at the Veneto Region, 1 July), veronarunmarathon.it (date, 42K start at 9:00, possible changes), Marathons.com (deadlines, Expo, other November marathons). Photo: Avisadehh, Wikimedia Commons. We did not verify the fee, the full rules or the official elevation profile.