Latina Half Marathon: Course, Route Profile & Map

Course & Elevation

Start and finish are on the athletics track of the Campo CONI in via Botticelli. The opening kilometres wind through the streets around the centre and the town-hall square before the course leaves the city along via del Lido towards the coast. Between kilometres 5 and 8 it slides gently from just over 20 metres down to sea level.

The middle of the race is Latina's lungomare: roughly seven kilometres beside the open beach with practically no change in height, before the route turns inland again from kilometre 15. The way back climbs steadily by about twenty metres over some two kilometres, and from there it stays flat all the way into the stadium.

The organiser, ASD In Corsa Libera, moved the race from May into early spring a few years ago to use the seafront before the beach season. The field is capped at 1,000 starters and regularly includes runners of national standing.

Pacing Strategy

The gently falling kilometres towards the sea tempt you to go out faster than planned. Use the slope to settle into goal pace without effort, but do not bank time there: whatever you gain on the way down you pay back with interest on the way home.

The race is decided on the lungomare. Seven exposed kilometres with no shelter mean that a wind off the sea can noticeably slow you down. Find a group and sit in, rather than working alone into the wind, and judge the pace by feel rather than chasing the watch.

The real test starts at kilometre 15. The roughly twenty metres back up into town are not a hill, but they arrive exactly when the legs start to fade. Hold the effort steady through that section and you still have four flat kilometres into the stadium to pick it up again.

Training plan for Latina Half Marathon: 12-week build

For most age-group runners the Latina Half Marathon takes between 1:30 and 2:30 hours. It is a mostly aerobic effort just below threshold, where what counts is holding a steady, high pace rather than handling changes of rhythm.

Threshold running and long runs with sections at half-marathon pace, such as 2 x 5 to 3 x 5 kilometres, are therefore the core of the preparation. Now and then place the fast blocks at the end of a long run so you learn to hold pace on tired legs, which is exactly what the return from the sea asks of you.

In the second half of some runs, include a long, gentle incline and hold your pace on it rather than increasing the effort. That rehearses the transition from the seafront back into town.

With the race in early April, most of the build falls in winter. Where you can, train in windy conditions to learn what a headwind stretch costs, and practise running in a group.