Think Smart Run Far - the 2026 Marathon is dedicated to Bologna the Learned!
The University of Bologna prepares to run with the city for the Termal Bologna Marathon 2026
The Termal Bologna Marathon returns with its fifth edition and does so with an important novelty: for the first time, the University of Bologna is the official partner of the event that will be dedicated to “Bologna the Learned”
The Termal Bologna Marathon returns, which, for its fifth edition, will take place in Bologna on March 1, 2026. The thematic heart of the event this time will be “Bologna the Learned” (after “Bologna the Towered” in 2024 and “Bologna the Fat” in 2025), a tribute to the central role that knowledge, culture, and education have in the history of the city. Strengthening this message is the collaboration with the University of Bologna, which in 2026 will “take to the streets” alongside thousands of runners to reaffirm the value of education as a driver of personal and collective growth.
The new claim of the event, “Think Smart Run Far”, thus becomes a perfect synthesis of the meeting between the academic and sports worlds: an invitation to unite intelligence and determination, knowledge and resilience: the same strength needed to face an academic path is found in every marathon runner racing towards the finish line.
The goal is clear: to increasingly engage new generations, showing how running can become a metaphor for a path of personal and collective growth.
How and where the event will take place
The Termal Bologna Marathon confirms itself as an event of international scope, capable of attracting athletes from all over Italy and abroad. Sports, history, art, music, and gastronomy intertwine in the heart of Bologna, transforming the city into a great stage of community and sharing.
The program includes:
Marathon (42.195 km)
• 30 km of the Porticoes
• Run Tune Up (21.097 km), now in its XXII edition
• City Run of 5 km, open to everyone
• Kids Marathon, designed for the youngest
Piazza Maggiore will be the center of the event, the finish line of the races, and the site of the Marathon Village, animated throughout the weekend by activities, meetings, presentations, and cultural and musical events.
Some data
The 2026 edition is expected to be record-breaking: over 8,000 participants in the competitive races and 3,000 runners in the fun-motor events, for a total of 11,000 registered. Considering companions, spectators, and visitors, Bologna will welcome over 40,000 people in three days of sports, energy, and participation.
"We are proud to have officially entered, for this edition, among the partners of the event thanks to a framework agreement of collaboration that defines common initiatives in the communicative, logistical, and solidarity fields. - said Rector Giovanni Molari - The University of Bologna is not just a place of study and research, but also a vibrant community that interacts with the city. Think Smart Run Far best interprets the values we share: the passion for knowledge, the determination to achieve ambitious goals, and the desire to grow together, step by step".
“We are deeply satisfied with the collaboration with the University of Bologna – continues President Teresa Lopilato - This synergy, which adds prestige to the Bologna Marathon, strengthens its meaning: it demonstrates how a sporting event can transform into an opportunity for dialogue and the dissemination of fundamental principles. We thank the University for sharing with us the possibility of conveying, through sport, to the young people building their future in Bologna common values of passion, determination, commitment, and growth.”
