Rome Marathon Podium
On March 22, Asbel Rutto won the Rome Marathon with Henry Kichana Tukor second and Tesfaye Lencho Anbesa third, while Pascaline Kibiwot won the women's race — the event also featured a Vatican team entry and a 93‑year‑old finisher named Rao. The Rome race blended elite competition with a wide, inclusive field this year. ( )
The men’s podium times: the top three were recorded at 2:06:32, 2:06:36 and 2:07:44, a four‑second margin between first and second that produced one of the season’s closest finishes. (worldathletics.org) The women’s race produced a new event best of 2:22:44, with second and third posted at 2:24:55 and 2:25:42 respectively, and the winner pulled clear on a solo run through the second half. (worldathletics.org) (news.germanroadraces.de) Organizers reported a record field of roughly 36,000 participants representing 166 countries for the 31st edition, pushing the event’s international reach to a new high. (sport.quotidiano.net) (marathonworld.it) The women’s mark of 2:22:44 lowered the prior course best (widely listed as 2:22:52, set in 2019), giving the race a new official women’s record on the Rome streets. (en.wikipedia.org) (news.germanroadraces.de) Athletica Vaticana returned with a formal presence of about 40 participants, a charity relay team that included Swiss Guards, and Cardinal Jean‑Paul Vesco among the runners, the cardinal finishing in 4:01:44. (news.germanroadraces.de) (agensir.it) The 93‑year‑old Antonio Rao completed the course in 7:09:20, extending a streak of marathon finishes in his 90s and adding to his M90 category legacy after a 2023 mark of 6:14:44. (tg.la7.it) (marathonworld.it) Run Rome the Marathon also served as the opening stop for the new European Marathon Classics circuit this year, positioning the event as a headline fixture on a pan‑European marathon calendar. (news.germanroadraces.de) (europeanmarathonclassics.eu)