Camminata di San Luca

The Camminata di San Luca is the big running event in Correggio, a town on the Reggio plain between Reggio Emilia and Carpi. It is organised by Podistica Correggio, a running club founded in 1980 by cyclists from the local sports association who swapped their bikes for running shoes in winter. The original idea of a handful of enthusiasts was to bring new life to the Fiera di San Luca, the town's traditional autumn fair. It worked: the event has become a fixture, now held on the second Sunday of October, and draws several thousand participants across all its formats, making it one of the best-attended events on the province's running calendar.

The centrepiece is a 21 km competitive road race, timed and counting towards the provincial calendar's Grand Prix. It starts at 9am from the town's sports area, near the stadium. The course runs along the roads of the plain surrounding Correggio: flat terrain that rewards an even pace and makes it a good autumn test over a distance close to a half marathon. At the front, the fastest runners finish in just over 1h14, but the field is mostly made up of club runners of every level from clubs in Reggio Emilia, Modena and the surrounding area.

Alongside the race, the Camminata offers three non-competitive routes of 12 km, 6.5 km and 2.5 km, open to runners and walkers alike and starting at the same time. These untimed recreational loops attract families, walking groups and clubs from across the region, true to the spirit of Emilia's camminate, where people come as much to get moving as to catch up with friends. The 2.5 km option lets youngsters and occasional walkers join in with ease.

Correggio has a special connection with distance running: the hamlet of Mandrio, within its municipality, is the birthplace of Dorando Pietri, the marathon runner who became a legend at the 1908 London Olympics when he was disqualified after officials helped him over the final metres. The town is also the birthplace of the painter Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio, and has an arcaded historic centre dominated by the Palazzo dei Principi, the former residence of the lords of Correggio, which now houses the town museum.

On the practical side, the competitive race is reserved for registered athletes with a medical certificate for competitive sport, while the recreational routes are open to everyone. Timing is electronic, and results are published by the organising club shortly after the finish, along with photos of the day. The club usually announces the date of the next edition as soon as the results are out, so runners can save the morning well in advance.