Julia Jones: Advice from the Moonlight Half Marathon pacers
In a little more than a week we’ll see each other in Jesolo at the Moonlight Half Marathon and 10km Garmin events. For both races we’ve arranged for pacers to assist you in maintaining the perfect race pace. Even if these fantastic athletes are totally normal people, they undoubtedly have a special talent for running at an even pace. If you want a few suggestions for pre-race meals, race tactics and how to enjoy the Moonlight Half race course, read on!

Pacer 2h00’00”: Rossella Naples (with pacer Davide Cervato)

Pre-race meal Saturday - A plate of pasta garnished with olive oil, walnuts and parmesan cheese along with a salad.

My race tactic for the Moonlight Half Marathon - From start to finish I’ll try and keep up the same tactics: have fun, smile and enjoy every minute of the race! Start, smile, run and have fun: that’s my motto.

Where did you see athletes having trouble last year? (if ever) -
Around the 17th and 18th kilometre...after the overpass is where the real challenge starts!

- Which is your favorite section of the course? The start is amazing with a sunset on the lagoon. I turned around to look at it several times! The scenery that we see while running will fill your heart up and, again, the sunset is marvellous!

Pacer 1h45’00”: Massimo Coppo (with pacer Cesare Monetti)

Pre-race meal Saturday - A large plate of pasta with a low alcoholic beer. From 3:00 p.m. I start drinking a lot of water and eat some fruit, both fresh and dried. From 6:00 p.m. I’ll stop eating but keep sipping on water until the race starts.

My race tactic for the Moonlight Half Marathon - To not be influenced by the excitement at the start and in the first three kilometres. Thirteen miles is far but we’ll have plenty of time to recover any seconds or minutes lost at the start.

Where did you see athletes having trouble last year? (if ever) -
After the first three kilometres and in the first moments of darkness, after the sunset.

- Which is your favorite section of the course?
The exciting serpentine of runners in the first miles and the finish with all the bright lights: that’s where the second beer of the day awaits me!

Pacer 1h30’00”: Massimo Preziosa (with pacer Domenico Startari)

Pre-race meal Saturday - At 1:00 p.m. a plate of plain pasta together with some bread. At 5:00 p.m. an energy bar.

My race tactic for the Moonlight Half Marathon - I have a simple strategy: start at a pace slightly slower than race pace so that we create big group of runners that can follow us all the way to the finish.

Where did you see athletes having trouble last year? (if ever) -
Along the lagoon where there’s a lot of humidity.

- Which is your favorite section of the course?
The last three kilometres coming into Jesolo, then onto Viale Mazzini where the fatigue ends.

Pacing groups for the 21km Moonlight Marathon

1h25’00” - Luca Mattighello e Sandro Boni

1h30’00” - Massimo Preziosa e Domenica Startari

1h35’00” - Matteo Corti e Gianni Scremin

1h40’00” - Tiziano Lion e Roberto Turatello

1h45’00” - Massimo Coppo e Cesare Monetti

1h50’00” - Alessio Rizzato e Annalisa Fae

1h55’00” - Roberto Grosso e Marco Roversi

2h00’00” - Davide Cervato e Rossella Naples

2h15’00” - Matteo Esquinazy e Margherita Bobrek

2h30’00” - Paola Vezzani

2h45’00” - Silvia Stefanello

Pacing groups for the 10km GARMIN


40’00” - Paolo La Placa

45’00” - Damiano Agostinelli

50’00” - Gianfranco Biasuzzi

55’00” - Silvio Dus

1h00’00” - Moira Lorenzon
STORIES BY RUN - Running through the fortifications of Cavallino
Not far from the historic center of Venice, with its suggestive squares, campi and hundreds of bridges, there’s the peninsula of Cavallino: a location between the lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, this place has a elongated shape and it’s characterized by cultivations, greenhouses, a thick pine forest and a sandy strip of sand.
Every year, many runners await the end of May for the Moonlight Half Marathon, a 21,097-kilometer fast-paced course, ideal both to do an high-level performance and at the same time to enjoy a unique landscape at the sunset.
Running along the flat lagoon you will admire the many historic buildings that typify the whole peninsula.
These are military fortifications like barracks, telemetry towers and bunkers built to defend Venice during the Great War and today they represent a precious historical, cultural and architectural heritage.
For a long stretch of the route, from 5th to 15th km, you can admire the Forte Vecchio (also known as Forte Treporti), built between 1845 and 1851 to protect the mouth of the harbor of Punta Sabbioni and the numerous telemetry towers in Lio Grando, Crepaldo, Ca 'Padovan, Ca' Bodi, Sansoni and Vignotto. These were real observation points lean over the sea, whence the lookouts saw the enemy army, calculated the distance and transmitted the coordinates to the batteries dispersed in the territory.
While the telemetry towers were built in more internal locations and easily mimed by vegetation and other civil buildings, the batteries were mostly located along the Adriatic coast. They were bilt in the early 1900s, marked by 360 ° rotating towers, equipped with long-range cannons to easily inflate the enemy infantry and outposts. They held large caliber artillery capable to destroy the Austro-Hungarian navy fleet before the boats came under the coast.

Enjoy the sunset immersed in this open-air museum and then reach the lively Jesolo at moonlight.
Between km 17 and 18 you will cross the bridge over the Sile River (this time without steps) that has a short stretch first uphill and downhill; from there the landscape changes and the sinuous curves of the lagoon become sloping avenues, illuminated by the lights of the night and crowded of tourists and spectators that will incite you till the finish line.
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Julia Jones: 10km forever
On Sunday morning I got up at dawn to drive the two hundred kilometres that separates my home from the San Giuliano Park, where the Corri Mestre race starts. The freeway was unusually trafficless, probably due to the long weekend holiday (it was labor day here in Italy). It was better for me since I got there a half hour earlier than expected. It gave me more time to say hello to the organising staff, some friends and of course readers who follow this blog. Then, I lined up with the other runners at the start of the non-competitive race. The course (pleasantly) surprised me so much variety of landscapes in so little space: city park, a closed to traffic road, a dirt trail next to a brook and rising hill overlooking Venice. Delightful!

I finished in an hour and after having said goodbye to everyone I got back in my car for the trek home. As I drove, I thought about the fact that, for me, the 10km is the perfect distance. Here’s why:

• A minimum amount of training keeps you in great shape. Three workouts per week for about 50 to 60 minutes and for a volume of approximately 25/30 kilometres is all you need. It’s not only not too hard to find three hours in a week to dedicate to your own health, I would say it's compulsory!

• You can prepare yourself for a more competitive 10km within a few weeks. Just stay active and compete on the distance of ten at any time. To be more competitive, one month of targeted training will always be enough. It’s also the Ideal plan for runners that have short attention spans!

• 10km races are organised in beautiful places around the world. One of the most beautiful is our very own 10km Garmin Running Tour, with a course that covers the last ten kilometres of the legendary Venicemarathon. Sign up asap since we tend to sell out the bibs well in advance. If after this week’s 10km you want to test yourself one more time come to Jesolo to join us for the Garmin 10km or 21km race. Another gorgeous Italian race, with a start at dusk and partying on the beach under the Moonlight!
STORIES BY RUN - Moonlight half marathon is coming!
It’s the middle of spring and the temperatures are gradually rising. After a wonderful weekend dedicated to the Garmin Venice Night Trail and the 9th edition of the Corrimestre, it’s time to run a longer distance: it’s time to Moonlight Half Marathon!

The VMCevents half marathon will take place on Saturday 27th May 2017: it will start just before the sunset and it will lead the participants through the charm of the Venetian Lagoon. The starting line is at the dam of Punta Sabbioni, which separates the historic coastline of Treporti from the one of Lido of Venice. From there, the race course continues along the lagoon crossing the center of Cavallino Treporti to reach then Piazza Mazzini in Jesolo where you will find the finish line.

The Venice lagoon is about 50 km long and 10-12 km wide area formed in a recent geological period (about 6,000 BC), after the Wurm glaciation.
During that period there was the definitive settling of the coastline of the high Adriatic Sea. In fact, as a result of the rise in temperatures during the Postglacial period and the consequent floods of the major alpine rivers (Brenta, Piave, Tagliamento) which convey a large amount of thin sedentary to the coast, the sea level grew till 65 - 110 meters and the coast line progressively moved northwards.

All the runners of the Moonlight Half Marathon will see the result of this process: the shaping of a sort of large coastal lake with a low bottom full of islands, “velme”, “barene”. The average depth of the lagoon is in fact only 1.5 m, although the beds of the large canals can reach depths of over 20 m.

The lagoon is separated from the sea by islands, called "lidi", interrupted by gaps of hydraulic connection, called “bocche di porto”. From here, it is possible to identify three basins, located in all the “bocche di porto”: Lido basin (northern), Malamocco basin (central), Chioggia basin (southern).

By running the Moonlight half marathon you will visit the northern basin of the Venice lagoon, commonly called by Venetians “laguna nord”: it is a very rich place both from the naturalistic and environmental point of view. In this area of the lagoon, in fact, there are the ancient roots of Venetian civilization with its first settlements that subsequently moved to the center of the lagoon (where they are today).
So with the Moonlight half marathon you will live a kind of backward journey... a real race against time!

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Over 4,700 participants to the Moonlight of Jesolo and Cavallino Treporti
Full speed for the registrations for the 'moonlight' run on 27th May. Almost 3,700 members have already signed up for the half marathon and more than 1,000 for the "twin" Garmin 10K event. Karhu signs the technical t-shirt of the race pack in 4 different colours.

Great success for the registrations to the 7th edition of the Moonlight Half Marathon, the "moonlight" run that will take place next 27th May from Cavallino-Treporti to Jesolo, with start at 7.30pm. There are already almost 3,700 registrations for the half marathon and more than 1,000 have bought a bib for the Garmin 10K, the "twin" event that, like every year, will start at the same time and will run on the last part of the Moonlight Half Marathon course. The strength of the event organized by the Venicemarathon Club is the opportunity to choose between two exciting races, with a very fascinating journey. A sports offer that also becomes a tourist opportunity to engage friends, companions and families. You will be able to choose between two distances, one competitive and also non competitive and above all to spend a weekend of late May in the name of beach life, nightlife and of course sport and wellness.

The race will be enriched by side events that will make the running offer even more fun. First of all, the Moonlight Beach Party, the great after-run party dedicated to athletes and companions that will be organized this year at the "Capannina" and at the ‘’Gasoline Road Bar’’. Free entrance and drinks for all athletes who will show their bib.

Good music will be heard by the runners along the way with the bands of "Anima la Maratona" and at Piazza Mazzini, where the audience will be entertained at the pace of rock and pop.

Also at Piazza Mazzini, the Moonlight Village will become the meeting point for the participants and the opportunity to meet great champions such as Stefano Baldini.

The race pack this year will be even richer. All members of the Half Marathon will be able to choose between four beautiful technical t-shirts signed by Karhu. The Finnish company has produced 4 beautiful jerseys of different colors (yellow, fuchsia, green and orange) both in the female and male versions.
STORIES BY RUN: Find the way around Venice
In a city like Venice, also to get lost is charming. Especially at night. But if you prefer to take a chance and learn to orient yourself in the Calli, Rami and Corti, follow the advices of Venicebyrun’s guys. But hurry up: to the Venice Night Trail, the first appointment of the VMCevents 2017, you do not have so much time left!

We are approaching step by step to the first race of the VMCevents 2017, the Venice Night Trail. Find your way around Venice is considered by many visitors, confused and disoriented by the many Calli, Rami and Corti that sometimes end in a deadlock as a channel or a door, a kind of undertaking!! If to the complexity of the urban road system we add the darkness of the night, Venice can turn into a real labyrinth!

People have two main ways to find the way around Venice and enjoy its beauty at the top: the first one is to rely on a local guide who will lead you easily through the most charming places, the other way is to proceed in the old way, by taking with you the city map... and your goodwill! The first solution is more convenient, the second most adventurous. Moreover, the mapping is always an integral part of Venetian history. The Serenissima based its prosperity on international maritime trade in goods and for this reason having excellent sailing navigation capabilities was a must for Venetians.

Alvise da Mosto, who discovered the Cape Verde islands, Giovanni and Sebastiano Caboto, the discoverers of Terranova and Labrador (today's Canada) and whose house is situated at the beginning Via Garibaldi in Venice, but also the famous Marco Polo who in "Il Milione" tells his journey to China and the subsequent return by sea to Venice: they are just some of the famous explorers who demonstrated the great ability of Venetians for shipping and exploring.

When it was not possible to rely on the convenience of a Garmin equipped with GPS, going by land and sea and exploring new territories required, as well as great enthusiasm and determination, a significant technical and scientific knowledge. Over the century there have been created many inventions which helped the explorers and the sailors for this aim.

An example is the Fra Mauro's “Mappamondo”, a masterpiece of the 1450 ca., which is preserved in the Biblioteca Marciana in Piazza San Marco. More specifically it is a map of the world made by Fra Mauro who was a monk of the order of San Benedetto and who lived and worked for a long time in the monastery of San Michele island in Venice.


This map is a manuscript made on parchment sheets glued to a wooden support (the size is about 230x230 cm.). On these sheets are thickly annotated more than 3,000 information about many places of the world (as it was thought before the discovery of the Americas).

In this map is very important the definition of Africa's geography: in this pasterpiece it is stated that the African continent could be sailed around. This statement was written half a century before the Portuguese explorers tested the feasibility.

Well, visitors who want to move with a certain familiarity in the city will have to follow a few simple steps: memorize the shape of Venice (just remember that it looks like a fish), keep in mind to use the cardinal points and remember that there are only three historic bridges crossing the Grand Canal. With these adivices, everything will be easier.
Registrations to the 7 ^ Moonlight Half Marathon fly!
About 2,500 athletes registered to the seventh edition of the international half marathon in the 'moonlight' scheduled on Saturday, 27th May from Cavallino-Treporti, Jesolo and organized by Venicemarathon Club

Registrations to the 7th Moonlight Half Marathon fly! About 2,500 athletes registered to the seventh edition of the international half marathon in the 'moonlight' scheduled on Saturday, 27th May from Cavallino-Treporti, Jesolo

Important numbers, three months before the event, that underline that the sporting event organized by the Venice Marathon Club in collaboration with the City Government of Cavallino-Treporti and the City of Jesolo, is constantly growing.

Positive is also the trend of the sister race, the Garmin 10K, that as always, will also have a non competitive version. On the official website www.moonlighthalfmarathon.it, a counter updates in real time the number of participants.

The unique scenery of the Venice lagoon, the sunset and the night life of Jesolo will give to all runners an unique and special sensations and is the frame to the great feast of the Moonlight Half Marathon.

The start of the Half Marathon is scheduled at approximately 8pm from Punta Sabbioni dam. From the sea athletes will proceed towards the Venice lagoon along via Pordelio, until leaving Cavallino and get in Jesolo. The 10 km will start from Piazza S.M. Elisabetta, always in Cavallino-Treporti, at approximately 7.30pm. The finish line of both races, as always, is in Piazza Mazzini, the heart of the event and seat of the Moonlight Village. The evening will end with Moonlight Beach Party.

The Moonlight Half Marathon is organized by the Venice Marathon Club in collaboration with the City of Jesolo and the Municipality of Cavallino-Treporti. This event is sponsored by: Garmin, Karhu, Ali & Aliper, Air France, Bavaria, Palmisano, San Benedetto and Parco Turistico di Cavallino Treporti.

Read more on www.moonlighthalfmarathon.it