ROME MARATHON 2026 PREVIEW: RUTTO'S RECORD IN THE CROSSHAIRS ON THE VIA DEI FORI IMPERIALI

The 31st edition of Run Rome The Marathon rolls out from the Via dei Fori Imperiali at 8:30 AM on Sunday, March 22. Some 30,000 runners will follow a route that threads past the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, St. Peter's Basilica, and Piazza Venezia. It is, by any measure, the most scenic urban marathon on the European spring calendar.

The Men's Field

The men's course record belongs to Kenya's Asbel Rutto, who ran 2:06:24 in 2024 to lower the previous mark set by Bekele Tefera Fikre (2:06:48, 2022). Last year, Robert Ngeno took the title in 2:07:35, smashing his personal best by nearly three minutes in what was his first marathon victory. Brian Kipsang (2:07:58) and Joshua Kogo (2:08:01) filled the podium, making 2025 the deepest men's field in the race's three-decade history.

Whether the 2026 field can challenge Rutto's record depends on conditions. The course is largely flat, but cobblestone sections near the historic center and a handful of tight turns through narrow streets can cost seconds. Rome's March weather typically cooperates, with morning temperatures between 8 and 14 degrees Celsius, though the occasional sirocco wind from the south can push things warmer.

The Women's Race

Betty Chepkwony has made Rome her race. The Kenyan won in 2023 with a course-record 2:23:02, returned in 2025, and won again in 2:26:16. A third title would put her alongside the most decorated women in the event's history. The question is whether fresh competition from the Ethiopian contingent can push Chepkwony closer to her 2023 mark or beyond it.

The women's field in Rome has historically been a tier below the men's in depth, but the gap has narrowed. In 2025, Selam Fente Gebre (2:28:22) and Rebecca Kangogo (2:31:16) rounded out a competitive podium.

What to Watch

The organizing committee has capped entries at 30,000 for the first time, signaling both the race's growing popularity and the logistical limits of running a marathon through a 2,700-year-old city. The start wave system staggers departures from 8:20 AM (elite) through five subsequent waves.

For elite contenders, the first half is the setup. The course heads northwest from the Fori Imperiali through Piazza del Popolo and along the Tiber before looping back through Trastevere. The second half is where races are won or lost, with the final kilometers winding through the centro storico before the finish near the Colosseum.

Rome sits in a peculiar spot on the spring marathon calendar. It comes one week before major European marathons begin their push toward the World Athletics Label circuit. That timing has historically drawn athletes looking for a fast, lower-pressure race to establish fitness or set personal bests.

Race Details

Date: Sunday, March 22, 2026. Start: 8:30 AM CET (elite wave 8:20 AM). Course: 42.195 km, point-to-point loop starting and finishing near the Colosseum. Coverage: Live tracking via the Run Rome The Marathon app; results at runromethemarathon.com.