Trofeo dell'Uva

The Trofeo dell'Uva is a half marathon held in San Pancrazio, a village in the municipality of Russi, in the province of Ravenna, Romagna. Organised by Podistica San Pancrazio, it traditionally coincides with the Sagra di San Pancrazio, the village festival, on the second Sunday of October. With half a century of history behind it, it is one of the autumn classics of road running in Romagna: it has drawn athletes of national and international standing and has several times hosted the regional road championship. The only year without a race was 2020, during the pandemic.

The main event is the 21.097 km half marathon, which starts at around 9.40am from Via Gino Randi, outside the Circolo Endas, where it also finishes. A competitive 9.5 km race, added more recently, sets off five minutes later. Both routes use the quiet roads of the Romagna plain, with no significant climbs. There are three aid stations on the half marathon and one on the 9.5 km; the cut-off is 2 hours 45 minutes and a sweep vehicle follows the last runners. Timing is by chip.

Alongside the races, two non-competitive walks of 8 and 4 km, open to everyone, leave from 9.30am. They lean into local tradition: halfway round, walkers find a stop serving pancetta, sausage, wine, tea and water. This blend of competition and village festival explains the turnout, with more than a thousand runners and walkers supported by over a hundred volunteers.

The competitive races are open to adults holding a UISP or FIDAL licence or a Runcard, with a medical certificate for athletics. The flat half marathon course is a good place to chase a time, while the 9.5 km offers a shorter option for less experienced runners. Several memorial trophies are awarded each year, including the Giovanni Zaccaria Memorial for the top club, the Giorgio Minghetti Memorial for the first man and the Rita Gulmanelli Memorial for the first woman; clubs from outside the region with at least ten entrants are also recognised.

Russi lies on the plain between Ravenna and Faenza, along the river Lamone. The municipality is home to the remains of a Roman villa uncovered by archaeological excavations and to Palazzo San Giacomo, a former country residence of the Ravenna nobility. Ravenna, with its UNESCO-listed Byzantine mosaics, is only about twelve kilometres away. The race takes its name from the grape and the harvest season, a high point in the life of this Romagna countryside.

Runners gather at around 8am at the Circolo Endas, where on-the-day entries are accepted until about twenty minutes before the start; advance entries close on the preceding Thursday. A bag drop is available at the start and showers are open at the village sports ground.