Record number of participants for the 15th Longato Jesolo Moonlight Half Marathon & 10K.
Jesolo is ready to host the major international road running event on the evening of Saturday, May 16th, where over 8,000 people are expected, 20% of whom are foreigners.
Venice, May 8, 2026 - Saturday night running fever is rising, and the countdown to the 15th Longato Jesolo Moonlight Half Marathon & 10K officially begins, next Saturday, May 16th. The official presentation took place last night at the elegant Falkensteiner Hotel in Jesolo, in the presence of institutions, sponsors, and journalists.
An evening organized to kick off the celebrations of the fifteenth edition of this international road running event, which includes a half marathon and a 10K (9,930 meters to be precise). This year, the event sold out well in advance, reaching the maximum capacity of 6,500 places already in April.
Added to these numbers are the more than 500 registered participants in the 2nd Rollerblade® Moonlight Half Marathon, the recreational inline skating event that will take place along the half marathon route, and the 1,000 participants in the 6th Alì Family Run, the approximately 3-kilometer charity run-walk for families, children, companions, and tourists, with proceeds going to the parish of San Giovanni Battista, one of Jesolo's most important Caritas centers. Registration for both events is still open and available through www.moonlighthalfmarathon.it or on-site on Friday, May 15th and Saturday, May 16th in Piazza Milano.
Jesolo is preparing to welcome over 8,000 enthusiasts who will transform the coastline into a huge celebration of sport and fun on Saturday, May 16th, suitable for all ages.
THE PROGRAM - The atmosphere of the great event will begin on Friday, May 15th, when the Moonlight Village opens at 3:00 PM in Piazza Milano, complete with exhibition stands and entertainment by Radio Bellla & Monella. The village will be open during the following hours: Friday, May 15th from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM and Saturday, May 16th from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
On Saturday the 16th, the first race to start at 5:15 PM will be the 6th Alì Family Run, the 3-kilometer charity race reserved primarily for children, tourists, and their companions. The program will continue at 6:15 PM with the start of the 10K race, which will feature both a competitive and recreational version with a single start. The 2nd Rollerblade Half Marathon will kick off at 7:15 PM, and the 15th Longato Jesolo Moonlight Half Marathon will officially start at 7:30 PM.
THE NUMBERS: 20% of the athletes are foreigners, mainly from Austria, Germany, Hungary, France, the United States, Great Britain, and Poland, to name a few. The event is also highly popular with women, who represent 40% of the participants, and 45% are athletes from outside the region, hailing from Lombardy, Trentino, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Piedmont, Tuscany, Lazio, and even the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
THE STATEMENTS: Deputy Mayor Luca Zanotto and Councilor for Sport Martina Borin spoke on behalf of the Municipality of Jesolo.
"The Moonlight is one of those wonderful events that Jesolo welcomes with pleasure, because it is an international, highly attended, and inclusive event that generates economic wealth" said Deputy Mayor Luca Zanotto.
"The Moonlight Halfmarathon is a special event, a flagship event that opens the Jesolo summer season, but above all, it is a race for everyone, uniting the worlds of competitive and amateur sports, including children" said Martina Borin.
Words of appreciation for the fruitful and active collaboration of the Jesolo Municipal Administration in the organizational aspects of the race also came from Stefano Fornasier, Sole Director of Idea Venezia: "The support of the offices, including road closures and safety measures, allows us to organize the event with peace of mind. Every year we strive to improve the route to make it faster for the athletes and less impactful for the citizens."
The floor was then given to Piero Rosa Salva, President of Venicemarathon: "We are on the eve of an important edition, which has reached the milestone of its fifteenth edition, and for this I would like to thank the Municipality of Jesolo, which over all these years has welcomed and supported us with great availability and expertise, allowing us to grow and improve with each edition. It will be a great celebration, and we can't wait to cheer on and applaud all the participants. The fifteenth edition will be just an intermediate stage in a long journey that we still want to undertake."
Venicemarathon General Coordinator Lorenzo Cortesi analyzed the numbers: "It will be an edition to remember, with over 8,000 participants in the four races, 45% of whom were from outside the region and 20% were foreigners. These results are the fruit of a long and careful internationalization process and a significant integrated communications campaign in Italy and abroad. We therefore estimate that this year's event could generate economic benefits for the area exceeding €2 million.
The significance and importance of this event for the area was also clearly expressed in the speeches by Roberto Milani and Fabio Bertoldo of Longato Serramenti, the event's title sponsor, and Francesco Palmisano, a longtime partner of all events organized by Venicemarathon.
Many other institutional figures were also present, including Roads Councilor Andrea Carpenendo, accompanied by City Councilors Mastrascusa and Pasini, representatives of the Municipality's subsidiaries, such as Jtaca srl, Jesolo Patrimonio, Jesolo Turismo, Confcommercio, the Jesolo Hoteliers Association, ViviJesolo, CONI trustee Jessica Scattolin, Xhevalin Pepkolaj, CEO of the new Evolution Academy massage service, and Venicemarathon councilors Mara Carraro and Roberto Soggiu.
The press kit is available for download. here.
The event sponsors are: Longato Serramenti (Title Sponsor), Alì (Official Sponsor), Audi Motorclass (Official Car), San Benedetto, Palmisano, Bavaria, Dole, I Bibanesi, Madi Ventura, Tronchetto Parking, Pasta Sgambaro, 1/6H Sport, Gac Power&Events, KC4 Saving and Improving Lives (Official Supplier), Evolution Academy (Massage Service), ProAction (Sports Nutrition Partner), Porte di Mestre Shopping Center and Rollerblade® (Official Partner), Radio Bellla & Monella and Radio Piterpan (Official Radio), and Corriere dello Sport & Tuttosport (Media Partner).
