StraMazzarino

The StraMazzarino is a road race held in the historic centre of Mazzarino, a hill town in inland Sicily, in the province of Caltanissetta. Organised by ASD Atletica Mazzarino, a FIDAL-affiliated club, it appears on the federation's regional calendar and has already passed thirty-five editions, making it a long-standing fixture on the provincial calendar. It combines two tributes, the Trofeo Oscar D'Asaro and the Memorial Luigi Gulisano, and in recent years has been one of the rounds of the Caltanissetta and Enna inter-provincial running Grand Prix. Its date has moved a good deal over the years, from late summer to the day after Christmas; recently it has been held on a Sunday in late October.

All races use an urban circuit of about 1 km, fully closed to traffic, starting and finishing in Piazza Vittorio Veneto. The loop winds through the streets of the old town, alternating climbs, descents and flat stretches. The main race, open to junior, under-23, senior and masters categories, covers 6 km, or six laps, starting at 11 a.m. Under-18 runners start at the same time for three laps. Earlier in the morning, at around 10:40, under-16 runners race 2 km and the under-14 category a single lap, while the youngest children run a few hundred metres on shortened circuits.

The format is short, but the hilly old town forces a change of pace on every lap and leaves little room to recover. It is a club race, where runners from athletics clubs across central Sicily meet for a morning of competition close to the crowd, which sees the field come past every few minutes. It is open to FIDAL members and to Runcard or Runcard EPS holders.

Mazzarino rises on high ground between Caltanissetta and the Gela plain. Its history is closely tied to the Branciforte family, princes of the town, whose palace stands in the old town among its many churches, while the ruins of its medieval castle overlook the rooftops. Running here means crossing an old inland Sicilian town, with its steep streets, stone facades and squares busy on a Sunday morning.

Runners and officials meet at 9:30 in Piazza Vittorio Veneto; bibs are collected by one representative per club in an area set up near the start. Entries go through clubs, by email, until the Wednesday before the race; late entries may be accepted on site up to an hour before the start, with a penalty. Every runner wears an ankle chip, to be handed back at the finish. The prize-giving, at around 11:45, rewards the first man and woman in the 6 km and the top three in each category.