Half Marathon Via Pacis: Rome runs for peace

03 Luglio 2017

Rome, 17th September 2017: the first Half Marathon Inter Religious for peace

Peace, integration, solidarity: these are the fundamentals that inspired the "Rome Half Marathon VIA PACIS", an event promoted by Rome Capitale and by the Pontifical Council for Culture, the dicastery of the Holy See, in collaboration with the FIDAL - the Italian Athletics Federation - with the patronage of the CONI and of the CIP.

The initiative, with the artistic direction of Lorena Bianchetti, was presented today at the Campidoglio, in the Sala della Protomoteca, at the presence of Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi, of Mons. Melchor Sanchez de Toca, of President Fidal Alfio Giomi, of assessor of Sport, Youth Policies and Big Events Daniele Frongia, of the CONI president Giovanni Malagò, of the President of the CIP Luca Pancalli and the President Acea Luca Lanzalone, and will be one of the sport appointments most important of the year.

The first edition will take place on Sunday 17th September, with departure at 9 a.m. from Piazza San Pietro, and will be open to all those who, through this great sporting popular event, want to say No to violence, No to racism, No discrimination of any kind and origin. That’s why, on the streets of the Capital, women, men, families, old and young people, children, sportsmen, people with disabilities, but also refugees will run, each one with his bib number, each one with his message of peace that will release, when arrive at the finish line, in some transparent columns that symbolize the columns of peace. The phrases and the testimonies collected will be published later in the book "Via Pacis"

Inspired by the traditional pilgrimage of the seven churches, the "VIA PACIS" will create an ideal link between some of the places of worship and emblematic of the capital.
Five stages that will highlight the participation of the various religious confessions: San Pietro, the Synagogue, the Mosque, the Waldensian church and the Orthodox Church, in two walking route from distance equivalent to a half marathon of 21,097 km for competitive and 5 km for the non-competitive.

The race will be broadcast live on RAI Sport.

A lot of the celebrity from the world of entertainment and sport that became available to bring forward the message of "Via Pacis like: Stefano Baldini, Lino Banfi, Maurizio Damilano, Fabrizio Donato, Gabriella Dorio, Massimo Giletti, Annalisa Minetti, Nicola Piovani, Giovanni Storti, Ricky Tognazzi, and many others.

In the Honor Committee chaired of Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi, there are the assessor of Sport, Youth Policies and Big Events Daniele Frongia, the Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Bishop Paul Tighe, the President of Fidal Alfio Giomi, the vice President of Fidal Vincenzo Parrinello, the Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the President of the Jewish community Roma Ruth Dureghello, the Secretary General of the Islamic Center Cultural of Italy Abdellah Redouane, the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Rome Salah Ramadan, the CIO member Mario Pescante, the President of CONI Giovanni Malagò, the President of the CIP Luca Pancalli.

“The first Half Marathon Multireligious for Peace it’s a really wonderful for the intentions and its implementation. An initiative which we are particularly proud and happy, because it helps us to foster dialog and integration between different religious communities present in Rome. Helps us to make more solid those sentiments of union and brotherhood which have existed for centuries, making them always current and present. Only in a common path, while respecting the diversity of each, our community will grow stronger and integral, ready to accept the challenges that are increasingly difficult and urgent. In the symbolically retrace the route of the pilgrims who arrived in our city from every part of the world, Rome will be once again the protagonist of the story that speaks to others with words of peace and solidarity. Always the one next to the other to run together.” Said the Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi

"The Half Marathon Via Pacis will be a big international event that transmit an important message for all. Rome can and must be a point of reference for the diffusion of a culture of peace and dialog. This will be a unique event that we will repeat every year. One of the exciting events of Rome", declared assessor of Sport, Youth Policies and Big Events Daniele Frongia.

“It will be a great event that will help to unite the people thanks to the run, the gesture more natural for the human. We are proud to contribute to the realization of this half marathon: we hope will collect a success in terms of participation.” Said the President of Fidal Alfio Giomi

"Our time increasingly needs bridges, not walls. The sport is an international language, that unites all, and also has roots deeply religious. The sport, like art and culture, help us to rediscover our common humanity”, declared Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.

THE RACE COURSE: SAN PIETRO, MOSQUE, SYNAGOUGUE, WALDESIAN CHURCH AND ORTHODOX CHURCH THE SYMBOLIC PACE OF THE PATH

The 21,097 kilometres of the path of “Rome Half Marathon Via Pacis” are unique in the world because join the most important places of religious worship of the city with the architectural beauties and archeological sites.

The start is in Piazza San Pietro, with the Basilica behind of the runners, then immerse us in Lungotevere, by the Florentines to Pierleoni, passing in front of the Synagogue up to enter in the heart of Imperial Rome: Piazza Bocca della Verità , via dei Cerchi, where is the Orthodox Church, via San Gregorio, Piazza del Colosseo and Via dei Fori Imperiali. Then we move to the historical center, Piazza della Madonna di Loreto, Piazza Venezia, Via del Corso, Piazza Augusto Imperatore and Passeggiata Ripetta returning on Lungotevere by Arnaldo da Brescia at Flaminio. We immerse ourselves in the Flaminio district and in the olympic village, passing in front of the Mosque and you enter in the Parco del Foro Italico passing in front of CONI. From there you go back on the Lungotevere to enter in the Prati district, passing in front of the Waldensian Church of Piazza Cavour, and from via della Traspontina you enter via della Conciliazione until the finish.
From a technical point of view, the trace is not particularly difficult on the altimetric plan and the stretches of road with the sampietrini are only two: Via della Conciliazione and the part that goes from Via dei Cerchi in Piazza Venezia.

The Half Marathon will be valid as 1° Italian Championship and Forensic Science as a single trial on the half marathon Championship AIA Referee Run.
The non-competitive 5 kilometers, instead, will start at 9.20 always from Piazza San Pietro, will then will pass on Lungotevere by the Florentines to Pierleoni, and will enter in the historical center from via del Teatro Marcello, we will head to Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Gesù, Largo di Torre Argentina, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and you will arrive in via San Pio X.

The Rome Half Marathon Via Pacis thanks the commercial advisor Infront Sports & Media and the partners Acea, Seleco and Università San Raffaele for the support.

The Rome Half Marathon Via Pacis has the patronage of Ministero degli Affari Esteri and Cooperazione Internazionale.

With the participation of: Runcard, AS Roma, SS Lazio e AFC Chapecoense, Scuderia Ferrari Club Roma Centro, Scuderia Ferrari Club Riga, Associazione Italiana Calciatori, Associazione Italiana Arbitri, Unione Italiana Ciechi e Accademia Nazionale di Cultura Sportiva progetto Anziani.