10 reasons to run the new Naples Marathon on the 30th of January 2011

According to the Naples Marathon website, these are ten reasons to run the International Naples Marathon on January 30th 2011. Compared to previous years, the event has been put forward by three months (January vs. April) to avoid competing in an overcrowded space with big marathons. This is indeed a great intuition, since it is very cold to run in the North of Europe in January, but ideal in the South. Organizer's expectation is to double the number of participants in 2011 (430 runners completed the marathon in 2010).

Those are the 10 reasons:

1-The course is pretty smooth, almost completely flat and well paved, with few turns limiting runners' speed
2-The Marathon Village is very closed to the Marathon start and finish and it is located in Piazza del Plebiscito, in front of the Royal Palace
3-You can run on one of the world's most beautiful promenades and main roads of the city center
4-The average temperature in January of Naples is ideal for a marathon (according to ilmeteo.it, the temperature on the day of the race will be 7-9 degrees C at the departure and 13-14 degrees C few hours later)
5-If you are not ready to run the 26.2 miles marathon, you can still compete with the race relay with two friends (not mentioned by the website as key reason, however runners can also take part to the Half Marathon)
6- Registration fees are very low (according to the site, 30 euro are the current fee, while 35 euro needs to be paid after the 20th of January. You can pay through the Active.com network as well)
7-You can stay at low cost, two excellent 4-star Hotels, being arranged to suit your needs (the two hotels are the Grand Hotel Oriente, which is located 100 meters from the departure and the Hotel Villa Capodimonte, ideal for relaxing week-end, also offering a shuttle to/from the Marathon departure/arrival. According to the site, the price for each night is 80 euro for a double bed, and 105 for a triple. Both hotels support an extended check-out to allow runners to take shower after the race)
8- The "Neapolis New Marathon" testimonial is a great Tuscan athlete Gloria Marconi, a symbol of loyalty and passion for sport (Gloria is a retired athlete who won the 2003 edition of the Rome Marathon in 2h29)
9- The organizing committee has been greatly strengthened, rising from three to eleven executives
10- You can find out with us, why the city of Naples is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO