On Sunday, March 11th, the Huawei RomaOstia Half Marathon will return – IAAF Gold Label: the most famous and participated half marathon in Italy – with many new features for the 2018 edition. RCS Sport – player partner of the event until 2027, Huawei is new title sponsor and Joma is new technical sponsor. Taking part in the race is one of the great legends of the sport, from the United States, Galen Rupp, winner of the Chicago Marathon in 2017 and bronze at the Rio Olympics – Registrations are open until 20th February 2018.

 

Rome, 12 February 2018 – Presented in Rome, in the Protomoteca del Campidoglio, at a crowded and well attended press conference, the forty-fourth edition of the most loved and participated Half Marathon in Italy, will be full of novelties without abandoning tradition, that of a fast and streamlined half marathon that leads straight to the sea from Rome.

 

THE PARTNERSHIP WITH RCS SPORT News of this forty-fourth edition, and for the next ten up to 2027, RCS Sport – one of the most important players in the national and international sports business – has become a Partner of Huawei RomaOstia, in particular following its communication, marketing and promotion both nationally and internationally.

 

HUAWEI TITLE SPONSOR The first change is in the name: from 2018 and for at least 3 years, the RomaOstia will be called Huawei RomaOstia. The world leader in the supply of Information and Communication Technologies solutions will support the event not only as TITLE SPONSOR but also as OFFICIAL TIMING, providing the 24 pacemakers with smartwatches to time their race, and brandishing all the stopwatches on the path and all arrivals over the finish line.

THE NEW TECHNICAL SPONSOR

It will be JOMA Sport, one of the most active and exciting companies on the sportswear and footwear scene, the new technical sponsor of the Huawei RomaoOstia Half Marathon for the 2018 edition. The competitive and non-competitive race jerseys, the Staff and the Organizing Committee uniforms will be provided by the Spanish brand, which has chosen a young and sporty design together with the organizers. The writing on the back of the shirt is new too, the slogan this year will be: “at the RomeOstia you fly!”

GOLD LABEL IAAF, THE ONLY RACE IN ITALY The IAAF has reassigned “Gold Label” to the event for the sixth consecutive year. The Huawei RomaOstia is the only Italian road race to boast this international recognition.

 

REGISTRATIONS The number of registered participants is in line with that of the 2017 edition. It will be possible to register online for a few days after the fixed deadline of 15th February to allow the organizers to avoid the many last minute requests.

 

EXPO AT THE SALONE DELLE FONTANE The Expo Roma Ostia, after a year of absence, returns to the receptive Salone delle Fontane, in EUR, with the number and quality exhibitors well above last year. Opening to the public will be scheduled for Thursday 8th March in the afternoon, Friday and Saturday, 9th and 10th March for the whole day with continuous hours. THE TRADITIONAL AND VERY FAST ROUTE  

Waves and grids at the start will respect the pattern established over the years that ensures the athlete’s bib number was assigned exclusively on the basis of the times obtained, declared and checked. The route is mirrored to that of recent years with departure from Palalottomatica, the first 3 km and 600 meters in the EUR district, and then to Via Cristoforo Colombo with arrival in the Piazzale Cristoforo Colombo, at famous roundabout on the Roman sea.

 

5 KM NON-COMPETITIVE AND 21 KM FITWALKING Confirmed the non-competitive race over a distance of five kilometers, the EUROMA2 RUN which leaves after the competitive race and arrives in the Mall of Euroma2. The registrations for the 5 km are already open online on the romeostia.it site and will be open until Saturday at the Village. The maximum time for the half marathon is confirmed as 3 hours and 30, so as to allow participation of the Fitwalkers.

 

GALEN RUPP At the start of the 44th Huawei RomeOstia Half Marathon there will be the American mid-distance runner Galen Rupp, a true idol of American athletes thanks to his prestigious placings, obtained in 2017, at the Chicago Marathon, where he won with 2h09.20. The first American by birth to establish himself in the race since 1982, and at the Boston Marathon, where he finished second in 2h09.58. Rupp is a complete mid-runner who, after an extraordinary career on the track facing the natural talent of the African mid-distance runners race after race, and culminating with an extraordinary silver at the 2012 Olympic Games in London on 10,000 meters (27.30.90) along with 3 national records in American still in force (26: 44.36 in the 10,000 meters, 7: 30.16 in the 3,000 meters indoors, 8: 07.41 in the 2 miles indoors and 13: 01.46 in the 5,000 meters indoors), began to devote himself to road racing. The transition was quick and equally successful: in 2016, at the Olympic Games in Rio, in the marathon, he won the bronze medal, crossing the finish line in 2h10.05 and in 2017 he entered the heart of the Americans with the two aforementioned Chicago and Boston races. “I am very happy to come to Rome and to run the RomaOstia,” said Galen Rupp in a video message during the press conference. “I heard about RomaOstia and I hope to run a good race, but I want to take the opportunity to visit the Capital and see its wonders “.

 

THE ELITE RUNNERS The group of elite athletes confirmed to date, maintains the line of continuity with the past, confirming the high-quality parameter that has always characterized the event. In the men’s race, which last year saw triumphing Guye Adola, a splendid prelude to his debut in the Berlin marathon with an amazing time of 2:03:46. The Moroccan Amghar Hicham, back from the victory of 60:23 in the Marrakech Half Marathon, will have to deal with the Kenyan Stephen Chebogut, second in Paris 2017 in 2:06:57 and 60:19 of personal record in the half marathon, and the Ugandan Solomon Mutai, bronze medalist in 2015 at the Beijing World Marathon Championships and the Ethiopian Direba Bonsa Dida, winner of the Madrid Marathon 2017.

In the women’s field, the cast of athletes at the start will see the presence of athletes already leaders in the previous edition. This is the case for Rebecca Chesir, fourth last year in 1h09’01 ”, who returns to the race this year with the motivation to revise the best performance and position. The Kenyan will compete with her compatriot Stacy Ndiwa, 1h09’09 ” of personal best in the half marathon, obtained at the end of 2017 and with the Ethiopians Haftamnesh Tesfay, 2:20:13 in the recent Dubai Marathon and Netsanet Gudeta, fourth classified at the Half Marathon World Championships in 2016, her personal best at 1h07’26 ” achieved last November in New Delhi. Among the three athletes another Kenyan, Winfridah Moseti, could also be a challenger, class of 1996 and winner last October in Turin with 1h09’39”.

Regarding the Italian athletes, unfortunately this year the RomaOstia will be held on the same date as the Italian Cross Country Championships, on Sunday, March 11th. Therefore, at the moment, it is only possible to confirm the presence of the athlete from Fiamme Gialle, Rosaria Console, who will return to run the RomaOstia after being absent since 2013. Rosaria, known as Rosalba, is one of the italian athletes who has contributed the most to the recent history of RomaOstia, consecrating herself as one of the best Italian cross-country runners. She raced for the first time in 2003, finishing in second place, returning 7 times, winning in 2005 (1h09’34 ”) and recording 4th place in 2009 (she returned after her first maternity leave) and 9th in 2013 (returning after her second maternity leave).

 

REGISTRATIONS OPEN UNTIL 20th FEBRUARY The Organizing Committee of RomaOstia, to meet the many requests that are flowing into the Organizing Administration these days, has decided to extend the registration for the event until 20th February 2018.

 

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FORTY-FOUR YEARS AND STILL LOTS OF ACHIVEMENTS TO BE HAD- PRESENTED IN ROME CAMPIDOGLIO THE 44 ^ HUAWEI ROMAOSTIA