10th Saint Anthony Marathon

This flat and fast spring marathon in northern Italy is named after Anthony of Padua who is venerated as a saint by the Catholic church. Anthony had superior persuasive skills as a preacher but died at the age of 36 on his last trip to Padua in the year 1231.

The marathon starts in the small town of Vedelago and travels southward through several small towns and villages, where many locals enjoy a traffic-free day and cheer you on.

From the small town of Camposampiero at half-way mark the race follows the route that Anthony took on his last trip. He died in the village of Arcella near the 39km mark, where also many runners find themselves in a desolate state.

The route is well-marshalled and very flat, you only have to cross two or three bridges. In all, the course is even mildly downhill, dropping around 30 metres in elevation. The last kilometre through the attractive historic centre of Padua (Italian: Padova) is partly on cobblestones. The finish is on one of Europe's largest town squares, the elliptic Prato della Valle.

Padua, a city with a population of 210,000, is just 40km from Venice but as one of Italy's oldest cities of art and culture it offers enough attractions to keep you busy for a couple of days.

Country: Italy

Venue (Map): Padova

Date: 26 April 2009 (Sunday)

Start time: 8.45

Race distance: 42.195km (certified); non-competitive events of 1, 2, 6 and 12km

Start and finish: Start in Vedelago, finish on Prato della Valle in Padova

Entries: by mail or online (details on the event website)

Entry fees: 35 EUR until 31 March; 40 EUR from 1 April to 19 April; no entries on the day!

Race centre: at the marathon expo on Prato della Valle

You get: voucher for the pasta party (which is on Saturday and Sunday), goody bag, transport of clothes to the finish, transport to the start (before or after the race), chip for timing, finisher medal

Prizes: see event website

Number of finishers 2008: 2512 in the marathon; approximately 20,000 in various non-competitive events

Event website: maratonasantantonio.it

No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or thoroughness of the information on this page.