Rome readies 36k runners
Acea Run Rome The Marathon expects a record 36,000 participants this Sunday and has pledged to offset all direct emissions — including a carbon project in Nigeria — as part of its sustainability push ( ). Organizers also added an Acea Run4Rome four‑leg relay and kept the Stracittadina Fun Run open for late registration while enacting special mobility plans and road closures ( ).
The race is set for Sunday, March 22, 2026, with a Fori Imperiali/Colosseo start and staged wave departures — wheelchair athletes at 08:00 and competitive waves between 08:10 and 09:00 — and the official finish at the Circo Massimo. ( ) Organizers state they have fully compensated the event’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and partnered with LifeGate to channel residual offsets into certified projects, including a Gold Standard programme in Nigeria. ( ) The specific project supported is the Gold Standard “Improved Cookstove and Safe Water Programme – Nigeria VPA 16,” which funds low‑emission cookstoves and safe‑water purification solutions for schools and communities to reduce boiling with biomass. ( ) Organizers say the weekend of events will attract many more people beyond the marathon itself — press briefings cite participants from about 166 countries, more than 10,000 registered women and roughly 60,000 total bibs issued across marathon, relay and 5K events. ( ) Rome’s mobility plan requires progressive road closures across the route and surrounding districts, with major restrictions concentrated between roughly 07:00 and 15:00 and bus lines rerouted or shortened by ATAC for the day. ( ) Complementary events include the Acea Water Fun Run – Saturday 5K on March 21, 2026 (with the Stracanina dog run component) and the charity‑focused relay format; live timing, Sportograf photography and event tracking will be provided across the weekend. ( )
