The 17th Rome Marathon takes place on Sunday 20 March at 09.00 on Via dei Fori Imperiali. This year's record turn-out sees 16,188 athletes from 84 nations competing in the 42 km marathon: 9,147 Italian and 7,041 foreigners. Meanwhile 85,000 people are expected to participate in the non-competitive 4km RomaFun. Beginning on Via dei Fori Imperiali at 09.10 and open to all, many people have signed up for the fun run to raise awareness and funds for charities.

In addition to over 100,000 participants, the marathon's employees and volunteers number 2,500. This year the event is no longer open only to human participation: the inaugural "Stracanina" involves both dogs and their owners and promotes fun and mutual respect. The marathon is estimated to generate about