Today, on February 8, 2024, at the Savonuzzi hall of Palazzo D’Accursio, the medals for the "finishers" and many other novelties of the third edition of the Bologna Marathon were unveiled, scheduled from March 1 to March 3, 2024. The event was attended by the Sports Assessor Roberta Li Calzi, the President of Bologna Sport Marathon Teresa Lopilato, the CEO of Pelliconi Spa Marco Checchi, and the President of the Entroterre Foundation Claudio Borgianni.

A 3-DAY EVENT IN PIAZZA MAGGIORE

The event, listed among the Great Events of the city of Bologna, includes a village open to the public and runners for the entire weekend. Piazza Maggiore, the starting and finishing area of the races scheduled for Sunday, March 3, will be the beating heart of this great celebration, starting on Friday afternoon, March 1, with the arrival of the first athletes and the organization of various collateral events, meetings, presentations, and music. Palazzo D'Accursio and the splendid Sala Ercole will welcome the thousands of registered runners for the delivery of bibs and race kits, while the exhibition areas, open to the public, will be set up between Piazza del Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore, with more than thirty exhibitors, partners, and a refreshment area where you can buy sandwiches with the best mortadella from Bologna and taste excellent beers.

RUNNING ON SUNDAY BUT NOT ONLY

The competitive races scheduled for Sunday, March 3, are the UnipolMove Run Tune Up, a historic half marathon in its twentieth edition, starting from via Indipendenza at 8:45 AM, the 30 km of the Portici, and the Bologna Marathon, starting at 9:15 AM. On the same day, starting at 10:15 AM, the Tecnocasa Bologna City Run will be held, a non-competitive race with a 5 km route through the historic center of the city. You can also participate in the City Run by joining the charity program RUN5000, made possible thanks to the support of Banca di Bologna, thus contributing to the projects of one of the 16 non-profit organizations involved.

But it won't be just about running on Sunday! On Saturday, March 2, in addition to a final collective training session with Federico Accorsi, trainer of Team Unipol, the first Tigotà Kids Marathon is scheduled, an event dedicated to children aged 4 to 10, who will be able to wear runner's clothes and experience the excitement of a fun motor race in the splendid Piazza Maggiore, where the "grown-ups" will cross the finish line on Sunday. A festive Saturday made even more enjoyable by special training sessions by Cecilia TataFitness, games and activities of emotional intelligence with Six Seconds, animation by the puppets of Luna Farm, present as mascots of the initiative, music by Radio Bruno, and other entertainment moments.

Online registrations are open until February 21 for the 3 competitive races of 21, 30, and 42 km, while for the non-competitive 5 km and the Kids Marathon, they will close on February 28.

THE MEDAL: BETWEEN HISTORY AND INNOVATION

Bologna has been called the Turrita, because of the over 150 towers that stood in the city between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Stealing the words of the Bolognese singer-songwriter Cesare Cremonini, "Its view offered visitors an urban panorama that had nothing to envy to today's New York." The ancient towers of Bologna are indeed the main subject of the medals of the Bologna Marathon 2024 which, however, hide an additional secret dedicated to all the finishers who will cross the finish line on March 3. So not just a simple medal, but a "key" to open some hidden doors and extend one's experience in the city. "The secret is Bologna" is in fact the claim of this edition which presents itself not only as a running race but as an opportunity to experience a city, rich in culture, art, and music, to discover its flavors and colors and, why not, even some secrets!

THE OFFICIAL SHIRT by JOMA During the conference, the official shirts of the Bologna Marathon 2024 were shown live for the first time, made by JOMA, the new technical sponsor of the event. On the front of the t-shirts, designed by two young talents from Bologna - Margherita Steffanon and Federico Jussi of "Borderline" - stands out the graphics inspired by the logo of the race, dedicated to the characteristic Porticoes of Bologna, while on the back emerges the claim of this edition "The secret is Bologna."

SPORT & MUSIC ALONG THE STREETS OF BOLOGNA

Music and sports are two forms of universal expression and sharing. They share values such as cooperation, creativity, passion, and commitment. They are both cultural worlds that activate participation and have positive effects on people's well-being. From these premises, the BandaBO project was born, led by the Entroterre Foundation, which, in collaboration with ANBIMA Emilia Romagna (National Association of Autonomous Italian Musical Bands), selected 10 Musical Bands plus a marching Band that on Sunday, March 3, will play along the route of the Bologna Marathon 2024. A great stimulus and encouragement for the runners who will run in Bologna, but also an opportunity for involvement for the citizens who will be able to take to the streets, cheer on the runners in the race and at the same time experience a moment of celebration with the music of some of the most important national bands.

PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

The Bologna Marathon is a major event made possible by the contribution of important companies and entities that support the project and develop initiatives aimed at both registered athletes and the public. Among the main sponsors are Pelliconi, the exclusive partner for the medals, and UnipolMove, the Title sponsor of the Run Tune Up, within which the national championship of Unipol employees will also take place with over 100 participants from all over Italy. Joma, the new technical partner, will not only design the event's jerseys but will also provide uniforms for volunteers and staff. Ghedini confirms its role as a partner concessionaire, while Birrificio Angelo Poretti will be the official beer starting this year. Tigotà, besides sponsoring the race for boys and girls, promotes gender equality and women's participation in sports with the special "Ondina Valla" award dedicated to the three youngest girls who will cross the finish line of their respective races, as well as to the three female finishers with the highest age. Tecnocasa will bring green color to the 5 km non-competitive race, Cer Medical will present its new line of innovative products for runners, as will Master Aid. Nerea will remain the official water sponsor of the event, Massigen is the integration partner of the races with its range of gels and mineral salts, Dole provides excellent fresh fruit at the refreshment stations. The legendary Mortadella Sandwich will be available at the final refreshment, thanks to Artigainquality and the Bologna Bakers Association, as well as the delicious sweets from Loacker and Tattini. Runners will find various products from partners in the race pack, packaged in 100% recycled plastic bags from Matteiplast, including products from Prep, L’Angelica, Biorepair, BlanX, Frullà, Stickermule, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Most of these brands will be present at the expo area from March 1 to 3 in Piazza Maggiore, as well as the Monti Salute+ Group, Llloyds Pharmacies, Toyota MH, and Bike Studio with many innovations to present to both registered athletes and the public. Special thanks also go to the sponsors for the prizes offered to numerous categories in the rankings, packaged this year in special Bagpacks by Extrò Venice.

STAFF & VOLUNTEERS

Many people and organizations are involved in the realization of an event of this magnitude. A staff composed of 50 professionals works closely with various sectors of the Municipality of Bologna, 150 volunteers will be present in Piazza Maggiore from March 1 to 3, 600 people including security personnel along the 42 km Marathon route, almost 100 volunteers from Bologna's running clubs will oversee the refreshment stations, over 60 "guardian angels" will accompany the runners along the race courses, a green team with Recooper volunteers will be responsible for cleaning the route and the village, and numerous staff members will be involved in setting up and dismantling, coordinated by the numerous suppliers of the event