Giro di Castelbuono
Encyclopedia
The Giro di Castelbuono (officially Giro Podistico Internazionale Castelbuono) is an annual road running
competition over 10 kilometres which takes place in Castelbuono
, on the island of Sicily
, Italy
. First held in 1912, the competition is one of the oldest road races in Europe
, which is the inspiration for the event's nickname – "La Corsa Più Antica" (The Oldest Race). The race, typically held on (or around) July 26 to coincide with Saint Anne
's Day, has been held almost every year since its inauguration, although the two World Wars interrupted the event over those periods. The race has been broadcast every year for a decade by Italian television channel Rai Sport Più
.
From 2011 onwards, the race departed from its long-standing original distance of 11.3 kilometres and switched to a certified 10 km circuit. From 1912 to 2010, the course of the race followed a looped pattern of ten laps of roughly 1.13 km around the historical centre of the town. The start and end point of the race was at Piazza Margherita. Beginning at the square, the route went south along Via Roma and into Via Mario Levante. It then went east along Via Camillo Benso Conte Di Cavour before heading back north along Via Vittorio Emanuele II. The course then followed Via Umberto I
in a north-westerly direction which arrives back at the starting point. The race is a challenging one for athletes as they must contend with a difficult uphill section on each lap.
Over the history of the event, the Giro di Castelbuono has attracted many of the sport's top athletes. Among the past winners are former world record holders Khalid Khannouchi
and Paul Tergat
, three-time London Marathon
winner Martin Lel
, and four-time road running World Champion Zersenay Tadese. The pre-international era of the race also featured prominent runners, including Gelindo Bordin
, Orlando Pizzolato
, Venanzio Ortis
, Franco Fava, as well as Sicily's own Luigi Zarcone. While the competition has principally been a men's race throughout its existence, a women's race was featured on the programme from 1995 to 2004. Winners of this short-lived race included Rome Marathon winner Gloria Marconi
, Florence Marathon
winner Florence Barsosio
and multiple Major Marathon champion Margaret Okayo
.
Key:
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
competition over 10 kilometres which takes place in Castelbuono
Castelbuono
Castelbuono is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily . It is especially famous for the castle which its name derives, and around which the city grew up in the 14th century.-History:...
, on the island of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. First held in 1912, the competition is one of the oldest road races in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, which is the inspiration for the event's nickname – "La Corsa Più Antica" (The Oldest Race). The race, typically held on (or around) July 26 to coincide with Saint Anne
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
's Day, has been held almost every year since its inauguration, although the two World Wars interrupted the event over those periods. The race has been broadcast every year for a decade by Italian television channel Rai Sport Più
Rai Sport Più
Rai Sport 1 is an Italian sports TV channel, launched in 1999 by the state-owned RAI television network. It broadcast Italian and international sports events in Italy on DTT channel 57 on Mux Rai B...
.
From 2011 onwards, the race departed from its long-standing original distance of 11.3 kilometres and switched to a certified 10 km circuit. From 1912 to 2010, the course of the race followed a looped pattern of ten laps of roughly 1.13 km around the historical centre of the town. The start and end point of the race was at Piazza Margherita. Beginning at the square, the route went south along Via Roma and into Via Mario Levante. It then went east along Via Camillo Benso Conte Di Cavour before heading back north along Via Vittorio Emanuele II. The course then followed Via Umberto I
Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I or Humbert I , nicknamed the Good , was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. He was deeply loathed in far-left circles, especially among anarchists, because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan...
in a north-westerly direction which arrives back at the starting point. The race is a challenging one for athletes as they must contend with a difficult uphill section on each lap.
Over the history of the event, the Giro di Castelbuono has attracted many of the sport's top athletes. Among the past winners are former world record holders Khalid Khannouchi
Khalid Khannouchi
Khalid Khannouchi is a Moroccan American marathoner. He was born in Meknes, Morocco. He is the former world record holder for the marathon and held the former road world best for the 20 km distance. He is one of only five men to break the marathon world record more than once, and one of only four...
and Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...
, three-time London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
winner Martin Lel
Martin Lel
Martin Kiptolo Lel is a Kenyan long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His personal best time, , is 2:05:15, which he ran in the 2008 London Marathon setting a...
, and four-time road running World Champion Zersenay Tadese. The pre-international era of the race also featured prominent runners, including Gelindo Bordin
Gelindo Bordin
Gelindo Bordin is an Italian former athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Born at Vicenza, Bordin made his first breakthrough at the 1986 European Championships, where he won a gold medal....
, Orlando Pizzolato
Orlando Pizzolato
Orlando Pizzolato is a retired long-distance runner from Italy, who represented his native country in the men's marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics, finishing in 16th place...
, Venanzio Ortis
Venanzio Ortis
Venanzio Ortis is an Italian retired long-distance runner who won two medals at the 1978 European Championships.-Biography:Ortis was born in Paluzza, province of Udine....
, Franco Fava, as well as Sicily's own Luigi Zarcone. While the competition has principally been a men's race throughout its existence, a women's race was featured on the programme from 1995 to 2004. Winners of this short-lived race included Rome Marathon winner Gloria Marconi
Gloria Marconi
Gloria Marconi is an Italian long-distance runner.She was born in Florence. On the track she finished fifth in the 5000 metres and 24th in the 10,000 metres at the 2002 European Championships. She became Italian 5000 metres champion in 2002 and 2004, and 10,000 metres champion in 2003 and 2006...
, Florence Marathon
Florence Marathon
The Florence Marathon is an annual full-length marathon race which takes place in late November in Florence, Italy. Established in 1984, the international competition has significantly grown in size since its inaugural edition of 462 runners – a total of 10,211 runners started the 2010 edition,...
winner Florence Barsosio
Florence Barsosio
Florence Jepkemoi Barsosio is a Kenyan athlete who specialises in long-distance running. Her sister, Sally Barsosio, is also a professional runner....
and multiple Major Marathon champion Margaret Okayo
Margaret Okayo
Margaret Okayo is a professional marathon runner from Kenya. She has won a number of major marathons, including the New York City Marathon , the Boston Marathon, and the London Marathon. She has also won the San Diego Marathon on two occasions.Okayo started running while at primary school...
.
National era
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1912 | Giovanni Blanchetè | 51:36 | S.S. Ercole Palermo |
| 2nd | 1913 | Giovanni Blanchetè | 50:15 | S.S. Ercole Palermo |
| 3rd | 1914 | Sgr. Scelta | 48:20 | S.S. Sport Club Palermo |
| — | 1915–1919 | Not held due to World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... |
||
| 4th | 1920 | Ignazio Militello | ? | S.S. Sport Club Termini Imerese |
| 5th | 1921 | Agatino Mascali | 44:40 | S.S. Pro Etna Catania |
| 6th | 1922 | Agatino Mascali | 42:50 | S.S. Pro Etna Catania |
| 7th | 1923 | Agatino Mascali | 43:10 | S.S. Pro Etna Catania |
| 8th | 1924 | Agatino Mascali | 42:10 | S.S. Pro Etna Catania |
| 9th | 1925 | Gaetano Spreafico | 41:26 | S.S. Pro Patria Busto Arsizio |
| 10th | 1926 | Gaetano Spreafico | ? | S.S. Pro Patria Busto Arsizio |
| 11th | 1927 | Gaetano Citarrella | 41:30 | Ferriera Ercta Palermo |
| 12th | 1928 | Gaetano Citarrella | 41:55 | M.V.S.N. Palermo |
| — | 1929–30 | Not held | ||
| 13th | 1931 | Giuseppe Lombardo | 42:20 | F.G. Reggio Calabria |
| 14th | 1932 | Domenico La Bianca | 41:08 | S.S. Unione S. Italia Palermo |
| 15th | 1933 | Domenico La Bianca | 41:50 | S.S. Unione S. Italia Palermo |
| 16th | 1934 | Domenico La Bianca | 41:00 | S.S. Unione S. Italia Palermo |
| 17th | 1935 | Ercole Morello | ? | S.S. Sport Club Palermo |
| — | 1936 | Not held | ||
| 18th | 1937 | Salvatore Merlino | ? | F.G. Bagheria |
| 19th | 1938 | Nicola Ruggeri | ? | G.U.F. Messina |
| 20th | 1939 | Nicola Ruggeri | ? | G.U.F. Messina |
| — | 1940–41 | Not held due to World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... |
||
| 21st | 1942 | Antonio Fontana | ? | VV.FF. Palermo |
| — | 1943–45 | Not held due to World War II | ||
| 22nd | 1946 | Sgr. Renda | ? | G.P.U. Messina |
| 23rd | 1947 | Giovanni Cultrone | 39:40 | S.S. Fiamma Vittoria |
| 24th | 1948 | Giulio Panico | 38:35 | G.S. Sangiovannese Napoli |
| 25th | 1949 | Giovanni Cultrone | ? | S.S. Fiamma Vittoria |
| 26th | 1950 | Giovanni Cultrone | ? | S.S. Fiamma Vittoria |
| 27th | 1951 | Pietro Balistreri | 39:45 | Corpo VV.FF. Palermo |
| 28th | 1952 | Antonino Calderone | ? | C.A.S. Termini Imerese |
| 29th | 1953 | Antonino Calderone | ? | C.A.S. Termini Imerese |
| 30th | 1954 | Domenico Cappuccio | ? | C.S.I. Maurolico Messina |
| 31st | 1955 | Giovanni Cultrone | ? | U.S. Fiamma Vittoria |
| 32nd | 1956 | Stefano Bucolo | ? | Alt. Falcone Novara |
| 33rd | 1957 | Carmelo Di Stefano | 40:55 | C.S.I. Messina |
| — | 1958 | Not held | ||
| 34th | 1959 | Tommaso Assi | 38:17 | C.S. Ass. Generali Palermo |
| 35th | 1960 | Mario Longo | ? | Libertas Catania |
| 36th | 1961 | Stefano Bucolo | 38:27 | Alt. Falcone Novara |
| 37th | 1962 | Felice Scotto | 38:13 | U.S. Polimeni Reggio Calabria |
| 38th | 1963 | Antonino Buffa | 41:09 | Libertas Catania |
| 39th | 1964 | Francesco Sabatino | 38:11 | Libertas Catania |
| 40th | 1965 | Benedetto Mastroieni | 37:42 | Telestar Palermo |
| 41st | 1966 | Giuseppe Ardizzone | 37:06 | Mongibello Catania |
| 42nd | 1967 | Benedetto Mastroieni | 39:00 | Corpo VV.FF. Palermo |
| 43rd | 1968 | Francesco Amante | 37:00 | Libertas Catania |
| 44th | 1969 | Vito Riolo | 36:40 | Libertas Catania |
| 45th | 1970 | Gioacchino De Palma | 36:12 | CUS Bari |
| 46th | 1971 | Francesco Amante | 36:17 | CUS Torino |
| 47th | 1972 | Francesco Amante | 36:21 | CUS Torino |
| 48th | 1973 | Giuseppe Ardizzone | 35:38 | S.S. Alco Rieti |
| 49th | 1974 | Michelangelo Arena | 34:45 | Polisportiva Atletica Palermo |
| 50th | 1975 | Paolo Accaputo | 34:54 | Fiamme Gialle Roma |
| 51st | 1976 | Luigi Zarcone | 34:27 | CUS Palermo |
| 52nd | 1977 | Franco Fava | 34:10 | Fiamme Gialle Roma |
| 53rd | 1978 | Venanzio Ortis Venanzio Ortis Venanzio Ortis is an Italian retired long-distance runner who won two medals at the 1978 European Championships.-Biography:Ortis was born in Paluzza, province of Udine.... |
34:22 | Fiamme Oro Padova |
| 54th | 1979 | Orlando Pizzolato Orlando Pizzolato Orlando Pizzolato is a retired long-distance runner from Italy, who represented his native country in the men's marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics, finishing in 16th place... |
34:40 | Lemar Schio |
| 55th | 1980 | Claudio Solone | 33:45 | Carabinieri Bologna |
| 56th | 1981 | Claudio Solone | 33:46 | Carabinieri Bologna |
| 57th | 1982 | Michelangelo Arena | 34:07 | Fiamme Gialle Roma |
| 58th | 1983 | Orlando Pizzolato Orlando Pizzolato Orlando Pizzolato is a retired long-distance runner from Italy, who represented his native country in the men's marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics, finishing in 16th place... |
34:50 | Champion Ferrara |
| 59th | 1984 | Orlando Pizzolato Orlando Pizzolato Orlando Pizzolato is a retired long-distance runner from Italy, who represented his native country in the men's marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics, finishing in 16th place... |
33:34 | Champion Ferrara |
| 60th | 1985 | Salvatore Nicosia | 33:56 | Fiamme Gialle Roma |
| 61st | 1986 | Salvatore Nicosia | 34:03 | Fiamme Gialle Roma |
| 62nd | 1987 | Gelindo Bordin Gelindo Bordin Gelindo Bordin is an Italian former athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Born at Vicenza, Bordin made his first breakthrough at the 1986 European Championships, where he won a gold medal.... |
33:27 | Alitrans Verona |
| 63rd | 1988 | Gelindo Bordin Gelindo Bordin Gelindo Bordin is an Italian former athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Born at Vicenza, Bordin made his first breakthrough at the 1986 European Championships, where he won a gold medal.... |
33:27 | Alitrans Verona |
| 64th | 1989 | Salvatore Bettiol Salvatore Bettiol Salvatore Bettiol is a retired long-distance runner from Italy, who represented his native country twice at the Summer Olympics. He is best known for finishing in fourth place at the 1990 European Championships in Split, FR Yugoslavia.-Achievements:-References:*... |
32:45 | CUS Ferrara |
International era
- The course distances are 11.3 km for men and 5.6 km for women, unless stated otherwise
Key:
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65th | 1990 | 33:27 | Not held | ||
| 66th | 1991 | 33:11 | |||
| 67th | 1992 | 32:49 | |||
| 68th | 1993 | 32:36 | |||
| 69th | 1994 | 32:37 | |||
| 70th | 1995 | 32:56 | 14:37 | ||
| 71st | 1996 | 33:23 | 18:43 | ||
| 72nd | 1997 | 32:35 | 18:41 | ||
| 73rd | 1998 | 33:17 | 18:57 | ||
| 74th | 1999 | 33:05 | 19:07 | ||
| 75th | 2000 | 33:23 | 18:27 | ||
| 76th | 2001 | 33:01 | 18:11 | ||
| 77th | 2002 | 34:21 | 19:13 | ||
| 78th | 2003 | 34:28 | 19:03 | ||
| 79th | 2004 | 33:46 | 18:54 | ||
| 80th | 2005 | 34:25 | Not held | ||
| 81st | 2006 | 35:14 | |||
| 82nd | 2007 | 34:19 | |||
| 83rd | 2008 | 34:44 | |||
| 84th | 2009 | 34:02 | |||
| 85th | 2010 | 34:20 | |||
| 86th | 2011 | 29:05 | |||
Further reading
- Lirio AbbateLirio AbbateLirio Abbate is an Italian journalists and a correspondent in Sicily for the state news agency ANSA and La Stampa newspaper....
& Rosario Mazzola, La storia del giro podistico internazionale di Castelbuono, Promos Editore (1994).