Stramilano Half Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Stramilano Half Marathon, often called the Milan Half Marathon, is the competitive half marathon of the Stramilano running event and is usually held on a Sunday in March. It starts and finishes in Piazza Castello, in front of the Sforza Castle, at 8:30 am, with a second wave a few minutes later. The 10 km and 5 km Stramilano runs for all ages start from Piazza Duomo on the same morning. The half marathon is an out-and-back course over the avenues and bastions that circle central Milan. It heads out past Porta Nuova, Porta Venezia, Piazza Cinque Giornate and Piazzale Medaglie d'Oro, continues through Piazza XXIV Maggio and Piazza della Conciliazione to a turning point at Piazza Buonarroti, and then returns along largely the same streets. The time limit is 3 hours 30 minutes, with gates at 10 km (1 hour 30) and 15 km (2 hours 15). The Stramilano event was conceived in 1972 as a night-time mass run; the half marathon for elite athletes was added in 1976, when Victor Mora of Colombia won. The organisers call it the fastest half marathon in Italy, and the men's course record stands at 59:12. In 2026 the race was moved to 3 May to avoid a clash with the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, and it returns to March in 2027.