Pisa Half Marathon.
The Pisa Half Marathon runs out from La Cittadella into the coastal park of San Rossore and finishes on the Piazza dei Miracoli, a few metres from the Leaning Tower. In between lie 21 kilometres on the Arno plain with 31 metres of climbing: one of the flattest half marathon courses in Italy, whose appeal is entirely in where it ends.
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The course, elevation and route profile are from the most recent edition.
Pisa Half Marathon: Course, Route Profile & Map
The start is at La Cittadella, the medieval arsenal at the western end of the Pisan embankments, and the opening kilometres run west out along Viale delle Cascine into the Parco di San Rossore. That is the former royal estate between Pisa and the coast: a nature park of pine woods, wet meadows and canals where racehorses are still kept, with long straight avenues that make speed easy to find.
Back in the city the course passes La Cittadella again on its way to the Arno and follows the lungarni, the riverside streets with their palazzo fronts, past the Chiesa della Spina, the tiny Gothic church right on the water. The Ponte di Mezzo carries it into the northern old town and through Piazza dei Cavalieri, Vasari's Renaissance ensemble around the Scuola Normale, on towards the line.
The finish is the reason people run this course: the Piazza dei Miracoli, with the cathedral, the baptistery and the campanile, the Leaning Tower. The profile stays deliberately unremarkable: 31 metres of ascent over the measured 21.1 kilometres, 93 percent flat terrain, no categorised climb, and the only undulations are the ramps of the Arno bridges. The gun goes at 09:00, the limit is three hours with gates at kilometre 5, 10, 15 and 20, and aid stations come every two and a half kilometres. 2026 is the 20th edition, run as a FIDAL competition.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace Pisa Half Marathon.
Start under control
On a course with 31 metres of climbing there is no terrain reason to vary your pace, so plan even splits or a slightly negative one. The timing points every two and a half kilometres help more than the watch here: use them as your check-in rather than the GPS pace, which goes unreliable on the embankments and in the lanes of the old town.
Hold your rhythm
The trap is the Parco di San Rossore. The opening kilometres are dead straight, quiet, free of spectators and feel gently downhill, and that is where a pace you cannot hold in the city regularly appears. Run the first five kilometres deliberately at the easy end of your range.
Spend what is left
The race is decided from the Cittadella on. On the lungarni the course narrows, with bridge ramps and corners, and in the old town between Piazza dei Cavalieri and the Piazza dei Miracoli there are tight stone-paved lanes. At half-marathon pace that costs more rhythm than the profile suggests. Hold your effort there, take the corners smoothly, and save the kick for the last hundred metres towards the cathedral.
Training plan for Pisa Half Marathon: 12-week build
Build the base
For most age-group runners the Pisa Half Marathon takes between an hour and a half and two and a half hours. The demand is about as uniform as a half-marathon course can make it: continuously aerobic close to threshold, no categorised climb, 93 percent flat terrain. Nothing in the profile breaks your rhythm, which means your threshold performance decides the finishing time almost on its own.
Train race pace
Build the preparation around threshold work: tempo runs of 8 to 14 kilometres at goal effort and long intervals of 2,000 to 4,000 metres with short jog recoveries. Add a weekly long run of 90 to 120 minutes for the aerobic base; hill training has no specific value for this course.
Rehearse the course
What decides the race is holding pace in the final third, when the surface changes and the course narrows. Place the fastest blocks of your tempo sessions at the end rather than the start, and put some of them on paving and uneven pavements rather than only on track or asphalt. The lanes around Piazza dei Cavalieri are not where you want to test your arches on stone for the first time.
Arrive fresh
On conditions: early October in Tuscany is mild, often damp in the morning and not infrequently foggy in the Arno basin, and the San Rossore park sits near the coast, so wind off the sea can run down its open avenues. Put some sessions into wind on open ground, and plan clothing for a start that is still cool while the finish stands in sunlight.
Courses
Download the Pisa Half Marathon course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for Pisa Half Marathon dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about Pisa Half Marathon.
How long is Pisa Half Marathon?
Pisa Half Marathon is 21.1 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does Pisa Half Marathon have?
Pisa Half Marathon has around 31 m of elevation gain over 21.1 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of Pisa Half Marathon?
Pisa Half Marathon is classified as Flat, averaging 1.5 vertical metres per kilometre. 93% of the route is flat, 3% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
Is Pisa Half Marathon a loop course?
Yes, Pisa Half Marathon is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Pisa Half Marathon course?
Yes. The Pisa Half Marathon course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for Pisa Half Marathon?
Preparation for Pisa Half Marathon should account for 21.1 km, 31 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for Pisa Half Marathon?
The pacing strategy for Pisa Half Marathon should reflect 21.1 km, 31 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does Pisa Half Marathon next take place?
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The most recent one was held on October 11, 2026.
Where does Pisa Half Marathon take place?
Pisa Half Marathon takes place in Pisa, Italy.
Which distances does Pisa Half Marathon offer?
Pisa Half Marathon offers 2 distances — Half Marathon: 21.1 km; Pisa Ten: 10.6 km.
How do I register for Pisa Half Marathon?
Registration runs through the organiser: pisahalfmarathon.it. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
