Rome, Italy · March
Pacing the Rome Marathon
Flat, with extensive cobbles
A loop through the historic centre past the Colosseum and across the river toward the Vatican. The elevation is gentle; the basalt setts the old city is paved with are what shape the race.
Official site: dates and entry
Dates, ballots and entry rules change every year and are not listed here. Check the official site.
How to pace it
The gradient is mild enough to ignore in a pace plan. The surface is not, and Rome is the clearest example on this list of a course where what is underfoot matters more than what the profile says.
The squared basalt setts of the historic centre are uneven, and they do not arrive in one convenient block that you can survive and forget. They recur throughout, breaking rhythm each time. Individually the cost is small. Cumulatively they leave your calves and feet in a worse state at 35 km than the elevation profile would ever suggest.
A shorter, quicker stride handles them far better than trying to hold your usual one, and fighting to keep pace across a cobbled stretch costs more than the seconds it saves. Give the pace up on the setts and take it back on the smooth sections.
In the wet they become genuinely slippery, and that changes the race rather than merely slowing it. Adjust early rather than after the first bad step.
Worth knowing
- Cobbles reward a shorter, quicker stride and more cushioning than you might otherwise choose.
- Wet setts are slippery. Adjust rather than fight for pace on them.
- The scenery is a distraction in both directions. Enjoy it, but keep checking your splits.
What the common targets ask for
| Finish | Per km | Per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00:00 | 4:16 | 6:52 |
| 3:30:00 | 4:59 | 8:01 |
| 4:00:00 | 5:41 | 9:09 |
| 4:30:00 | 6:24 | 10:18 |