Verona Marathon 2026: tracking, the San Martino loop and the finish through the Arena

The Eurospin Verona Run Marathon runs on Sunday 15 November 2026, starting at 9:00 on Corso Porta Nuova, next to Piazza Bra (official race rules). It's the 25th edition, on a new course: west and then north along the Adige to Parona, back through the old town, a long trip east to San Martino Buon Albergo, and a last kilometre that goes through the Arena itself before the finish in Piazza Bra. If someone you care about is running it, here's how to know where they are right now and how to get your voice to them when they need it.

Independence notice: Cheerlify is an independent service. It is not affiliated with the Eurospin Verona Run Marathon organisers or sponsors, and it is not the event's official application.

The race at a glance

Start, cut-off, time limit and pick-up times are from the official 42K rules. The half marathon goes an hour earlier, at 8:00, from the same spot (21K rules), so by the time the marathon is under way the streets around Piazza Bra are already full of half-marathon finishers. The organisers say the course may change slightly on the authorities' instructions, so look at the course page again in race week.

Mind the clocks: Verona is on Central European Time (UTC+1) in November. Following from the UK, Ireland or Portugal, the start is at 8:00 your time; from Finland, Greece or Romania it's 10:00.

1. Official tracking: chip timing and results on ENDU

EVODATA does the timing with a disposable active chip, and the rules say split times are taken at several points on the course. Results go up on ENDU (Verona results page), the same platform runners register on (official rules).

As of mid-October the official pages talk about timing and results but name no live-tracking app, and they don't say at which kilometres the timing mats sit. If a tracking link shows up, it will most likely be on the official site or the ENDU event page in race week; you'd then search for your runner by name or bib number.

The chip reading is the most precise data there is, and it becomes the official split and finish time. Between two mats, though, you only see the last one, and the chip can't tell you when they'll come round the corner at San Fermo where you're waiting. More on that difference: chip timing vs GPS tracking.

2. Live GPS on the map, between the readings

For a dot that moves, your runner's phone has to share its GPS, through Strava Beacon, Garmin LiveTrack, plain location sharing or Cheerlify. We compared them in marathon tracking apps compared. Cheerlify snaps the dot to the course, so you see which kilometre they're on and get an arrival estimate for any point. In Verona that tells you when to leave Castelvecchio for San Fermo, or whether there's time for a coffee before they're back in town.

Tip: watch ENDU for the official splits and the GPS dot for the long gaps between them, like the far side of the San Martino loop.

The course, stage by stage

The kilometres below are measured on the course in the Cheerlify race catalog and matched to the landmarks named by the organisers and the press (course history page, Tuttosport, Finishers). Take them as approximate:

For the first half the course stays near the river and the city. After Porta Vescovo it leaves town, and the San Martino loop is about as far from Piazza Bra as the race gets, right where most runners meet the 30 km wall. Finishers also describes a long, gentle climb from about km 30 to km 38. Few spectators make it out there, so a cheer in their earbuds is often the only one they'll hear for a while.

Where to watch

The start and finish are a few steps apart and the old town is compact, so you can see your runner several times on foot. Our suggestions:

• Corso Porta Nuova (km 0): see them off at 9:00, then walk.
• Castelvecchio (about km 18): the castle bridge is ten minutes from Piazza Bra on foot, along Via Roma. A 4-hour runner gets here at about 10:40.
• Piazza delle Erbe and San Fermo (about km 20–21): a few minutes from Piazza Bra, and the spot to pick over Castelvecchio if you'd rather stay in the middle of the old town.
• San Fermo and Porta Vescovo (about km 40–41): the course comes back this way at the end. San Fermo is about ten minutes' walk from Piazza Bra, so you can see them here and still reach the finish soon after.
• San Martino Buon Albergo (about km 27–34): few people, so a familiar face really stands out. It's well outside the centre; only go if you have a car or a plan to get back.
• Piazza Bra: the finish, with the Arena right behind it. Pick a meeting point away from the finish line itself, for example on Corso Porta Nuova, where runners collect their bags from the trucks a few metres past the finish.

On race day the organisers run a free shuttle from 6:30 to 16:30 for runners and the people with them, between the expo, Porta Nuova railway station and Corso Porta Nuova (official rules). Staying home works too: the dot on the map and the cheers behave the same whether you're in Verona or a thousand kilometres away.

Weather

The organisers give an average race-day temperature of 9°C (official rules). Mid-November mornings in Verona are often damp and foggy, and standing still feels colder than running. If you'll be on the roadside for hours, wear layers, and check the forecast on Saturday.

Be in their ears around San Martino

At around km 27 the course reaches the loop around San Martino Buon Albergo: seven kilometres away from the old town and the crowds, with 30 km in the legs and the head starting to bargain.

With Cheerlify you can send a voice or video message while they're running, and it plays in their earbuds right away. You can also record one in advance and pick the kilometre where it plays. Their music dips, your voice comes in, then the music comes back. Some spots that work:

• km 31, in the San Martino loop: "Halfway round the loop. After this, every step is towards the Arena."
• km 36, on the way back west: "Six to go. You've run this distance a hundred times in training."
• km 41, past San Fermo: something only you can say to them, before they run into the Arena.

The official rules say nothing about headphones or music. One earbud or open-ear headphones are enough to hear a cheer clearly and still hear the marshals.

For the runner: in the Cheerlify app, pick Verona Marathon from the race catalog. The official course is already loaded, so you don't need a GPX file. Share the link and the code with your supporters. Running the half? Pick Verona Half Marathon instead: it has its own course, so the map, the kilometres and the arrival times follow the 21.1 km.

On the supporters' side it's a link and a code in the browser, with no app to install and no account. If several of you are following, each can record one for a different kilometre, and whoever sees the dot reach the loop can send one live. Need ideas for what to say? Here are 30+ cheering lines for every stage of a race.

Race-week checklist for supporters

1. Your runner's bib number and starting pen saved. The marathon starts at 9:00, the half marathon at 8:00 from the same place.
2. The ENDU results page bookmarked, and the official site checked in race week for any live-tracking link.
3. Your runner has sent you their GPS tracking link, and you tested it on Friday or Saturday at the expo.
4. Their phone starts fully charged, battery saver off, location permission set to "Always". In the narrow old-town streets the GPS can wander a little, which is normal.
5. Cheers ready: at least one for the San Martino loop (km 27–34) and one for the Arena, or a plan to send them live.
6. If you're there: your spots picked (Castelvecchio and San Fermo, or San Fermo and the finish), and a meeting point agreed away from the finish line.

Frequently asked questions