Annual Komen Race for the Cure begins and ends at Circus Maximus

The 16th edition of Rome’s Komen Italia Race for the Cure takes place on the streets of the capital on Sunday 17 May to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.

The annual event is divided into three categories: a non-competitive 5-km run; a 2-km walk; and a competitive 5-km race.

Last year it attracted around 60,000 people, both professional athletes and amateurs. The sporting event marks the culmination of a three-day festival of related workshops and family activities taking place at the Race Village in the Circus Maximus from 15-17 May. The money raised goes towards funding educational and early detection programmes to help fight breast cancer.

The run begins at the Circus Maximus and passes through Piazza Venezia and past the Colosseum before finishing back at the starting point. Participants in the 5-km competitive race must register by 13 May, while those joining the non-competitive events have until 09.00 on 18 May to sign up.

Competitive runners are required to be at least 18 years old by 17 May and must exhibit either a medical certificate attesting to their fitness for competitive running or a valid card from the Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera (FIDAL).

The minimum donation for all categories is €15 which can be paid online by credit card, or in person at theSusan G. Komen Italia offices on Via Venanzio Fortunato 55 in the Balduina area (Mon-Fri 10.30-13.00, 14.30-18.00). Payment can also be made at the Race Village, on Via dell’Ara Massima di Ercole, but only on 15 and 16 May from 10.00-20.00, or from 08.00 on race day, 17 May. At the same address, and during the same times, participants can pick up race hats and t-shirts by presenting their receipt of registration.

The race was founded by Nancy G. Brinker in 1983 in Dallas, Texas, with 800 runners. Over 30 years later some 1.5 million people are expected to participate in sponsored races all over the world. Full information about the race, including how to volunteer, can be found on the Race for the Cure Italia website.