Just quoting an article from the
Venice Marathon website, where it has been announced that all 6000 bibs for the 25th edition have already been assigned. This is an incredible achievement, 6 months before the event, and demonstrates the interest for one of the most fascinating marathon in the world. An additional 1000 bibs (500 for Italians, 500 for foreign runners) will be offered in May, to charity projects. If you are not lucky to get the bib, several options for runners are however still opened. First, on the 24th of October 2010, there is still the possibility to go to the second edition of the
Lucca Marathon, otherwise
Carpi Marathon, one of the best organized, is a good alternative on the 10th of October 2010. But it is most likely that runners will then turn their attention to the
Florence Marathon on the 28th of November 2010. To see what the
Venice Marathon live experience looks like, you can read the related posting.
The 25th Venicemarathon - Trofeo Casinò di Venezia – marks the first important result of this special edition. The last number of the traditional 6,000 bib numbers that the Organizing Committee puts at athletes’ disposal has been assigned this morning. In fact the participant cap due to the physical limitations of the last part of the course and to the choice of offering athletes good services has already been reached. The novelty of the passing of the race course through Saint Mark’s Square - the present that the Organizing Committee has planned for the participants at the 25th Venicemarathon – has been going around the world and in few months the 6,000 available bib numbers have been assigned.
“6,000 participants already registered six months before the event confirm the planetary success of Venicemarathon” these are the words of Piero Rosa Salva – promoter of the marathon 25 years ago – “This is an important goal in a difficult moment due to the economic crisis and to the increasing of the number of marathons in the calendar. All Venicemarathon staff will do the best to make all marathoners live an extraordinary 25th edition of the unique marathon in the world.”
Therefore on Wednesday 5th May, from 12:00, the online selling of the 1,000 special bib numbers will start. This choice has been taken thanks to the great request both from national and foreign runners and these 1,000 numbers will be divided in equal part between foreigners and Italians. They will cost 20 Euros more than the basic fee as the difference will be donated to two important social projects that Venicemarathon has been supporting for years.
As it happened last year 500 bib numbers will be assigned to help the creation of prosthesis for children, thanks to the project “Bimbingamba” supported by Alex Zanardi.
“I am very happy that Venicemarathon is having such success" – reported the ex-pilot of Formula 1 – "and I am even more happy to know that the Organizers have decided to repeat the beautiful effort of last year which allow the creation of prosthesis and the complete assistance to 7 children, coming from different parts of the world. I will be there to run, but especially to thank all athletes who have decided to run for this special purpose.”
The other 500 numbers will be devoted to ‘Run For Water, Run For Life’ to the digging of other drinking water wells in Uganda. Since 2006 the NGO Africa Mission – Cooperazione e Sviluppo, promoter of the project, has dug 7 water wells and has renewed 3 water wellsprings supplying drinking water to over 9,000 people. This was possible thanks to the fund raising supported by Venicemarathon.
The engagement for social purposes has been double this year and this shows that Venicemarathon is not only a run but an event with a big heart. Also the two Family Runs, the non competitive races of 4 km which will take place in the Parco San Giuliano in Mestre and in Dolo at the Marathon Eve will have special numbers supporting the marathon social projects.
If these last 1,000 bib numbers follow the selling trend of the traditional bib numbers, the registrations will be completely closed in a two-week-time, marking an incredible success for Venicemarathon and for all Italian marathons. On the official web site of the event, www.venicemarathon.it, it will be possible to check day after day the amount of the numbers still available thank you to the counter marking the count-down.
