Over Borders Half Marathon Lignano Sabbiadoro - Bibione

The Over Borders Half Marathon links two major resorts on the northern Adriatic on foot: Lignano Sabbiadoro, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Bibione, in the Veneto, separated by the mouth of the Tagliamento. The name says it all: the half marathon crosses the boundary between the two regions as it crosses the river. Organised by A.S.D. Running Team Conegliano under the patronage of the municipalities of Lignano Sabbiadoro and San Michele al Tagliamento, the event was born in 2024. First held in June, it has moved to early autumn, a cooler and quieter time of year on the coast.

The distance is the full 21.097 km, on a course measured and certified by FIDAL as category A, so times count for official rankings. One distinctive feature is that the direction of the course switches from one edition to the next: the start is alternately in Lignano or Bibione, with the finish in the other resort. The profile is flat, mostly on road, with a short dirt section. The route, which may vary depending on the direction, follows the Lignano seafront and Piazza Marcello D'Olivo, heads to the banks of the Tagliamento, crossed around halfway on the road bridge on Via Lignano, runs along the river's right bank and then through the Bibione pine forest, past the lighthouse, before following the beach and the streets of central Bibione around Piazza Fontana.

The half marathon is open to licensed runners, members of clubs affiliated to a World Athletics-recognised federation and Runcard holders with a medical certificate for competitive sport. The time limit is 2 hours 30 minutes, with an intermediate cut-off at 10 km, leaving plenty of margin for mid-pack runners. Pacers lead several target times and four aid stations are set up roughly every five kilometres. The race also draws elite athletes, and the Amici di Diego association brings young people with disabilities onto the course in running chairs pushed by volunteers.

The scenery changes with every kilometre. Lignano Sabbiadoro occupies a sandy peninsula between the Marano lagoon and the sea, with its Pineta district laid out in a spiral by the architect Marcello D'Olivo. Bibione, on the far bank, stretches along a wide beach fringed with pine woods and dunes, up to the lighthouse watching over the mouth of the Tagliamento. Between the two, the Tagliamento, often described as one of the last large Alpine rivers to keep a largely natural course, reaches the Adriatic.

Because the start and finish are in two different resorts, the organisers lay on shuttle buses, to be booked when entering, to reach the start in the morning and return to your car after the race. Personal bags handed in at the start are taken to the finish. The race village hosts bib and race pack collection on the two days before the event, with the option of collecting on race morning in the start area. Entries are online and close a few days before the race; last-minute entries are still possible at the village.