San Gaudenzio Agnolotto Half Marathon

The San Gaudenzio Agnolotto Half Marathon is a road half marathon held in Trecate, a small town in the province of Novara on the Piedmont plain between Novara and the Ticino, the river that forms the border with Lombardy here. It is organised by the club ASD Trecate Run and takes place on a Sunday in late January, a few days after the feast of Saint Gaudentius, the first bishop and patron saint of Novara, celebrated on 22 January. The other half of the name comes from the agnolotto, the filled pasta that is a signature of Piedmontese cooking, which the race has turned into a smiling mascot in running shoes.

Two races start ten minutes apart on Via Mameli, which is also where they finish. The 10K, listed in the rules as the San Gaudenzio 10k and known as the Immobiliare Gaia 10K after its sponsor, sets off at 9:20am, followed by the 21.097 km half marathon at 9:30am. Both courses are World Athletics and FIDAL certified, fully paved, closed to traffic and marked every kilometre. Each distance also has a non-competitive version that starts at the back of the field. Runners must be at least 18 for the half and 16 for the 10K.

The half marathon leaves the town centre along Via Volta, Via delle Rimembranze, Via dei Fiori and Via Sozzago, then follows the provincial road to Olengo, a village that belongs to Novara. It continues through Garbagna Novarese, Terdobbiate and Sozzago before heading back to Trecate on the SP5. The 10K shares the same route out of town, then runs along the SP5 to a turnaround about 500 metres short of Sozzago, where passage is checked, and returns the same way. The scenery is the open, flat countryside of the Novara area, a patchwork of fields and rice paddies dotted with village bell towers.

With no climbing to speak of, though exposed to winter wind and cold, the course suits runners chasing a personal best as well as those building up to a spring marathon. Pacers on the half cover target times from 1:30 to 2:30. There are four aid stations on the course plus one at the finish; given the season there are no sponge stations, and water is served from large containers rather than plastic bottles. Entries are capped at 1,000 for the half and 600 for the 10K, and shoes are checked in line with federation rules.

Bibs are collected at the San Giuseppe parish hall on Piazza Cattaneo on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday morning until 9am. On Saturday an Expo Village fills Piazza Cavour with stalls, sports demonstrations, street food and a concert. Changing rooms, showers, a bag drop from 7:30am and a pasta party are available to everyone. Trecate is on the Turin–Milan railway line; by car, leave the motorway at Novara Est coming from Turin or at Marcallo-Mesero coming from Milan, and the nearest airport is Milan Malpensa. Free parking is available on Piazzale delle Rimembranze, Via Verdi and Via Morello. After the race, the centre of Trecate is worth a stroll for the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, the oratory of Santa Maria del Gonfalone, the church of San Cassiano, dedicated to the town's patron saint, and the park of Villa Cicogna.