Nove Colli Running 2027

Four or Nine hills. 100 or 200 kilometres.

Cesenatico, Italy. 8th and 9th May 2027.

One of Italy's original ultras, and still one of its best kept secrets.

I am the UK Race Ambassador - just here to help. This is not the race application.

Nove Colli Running

200.3km

Climbs: Nine
Elevation: 3,220 m
Cut-off: 31 hours
Start: Maritime Museum, Cesenatico
Finish: Cesenatico beach

€220 Price rises end Jan

Quattro Colli Running

100km

Climbs: Four
Elevation: 1,320 m
Cut-off: 15 hours
Start: Maritime Museum, Cesenatico
Finish: Sogliano sul Rubicone

€80 Price rises end Jan

The 200km is the main event and finishes on the beach. The 100km, up from the original 80km, takes the first four hills and finishes at the bottom of the fourth descent.

Both are run on road. No mandatory kit list as long as your arm, no technical descents in the dark.

This is a great event, the scenery is stunning, the people are wonderful. It’s an easy flight and weekend away option.

Entries close on 30 April 2027, but the price steps up at the end of January and again at the end of March.

Why this RACE?

The people who started it still run it. Mario founded this race and is still race director, now alongside Andrea. Nearly thirty years in.

The aid stations are something else. Proper food, properly staffed, and nobody in a hurry to move you along.

Italian roadside support. Noisy, generous and flambouyant.

Colour and occasion. It is a genuinely fun event, which is not a word you get to use about many 200km races.

Nothing about it has been over-commercialised. All the essence of a true ultra marathon is still there.

A route towards Badwater 135

Nove Colli is one of the races recognised by Badwater 135 as an “approved qualifier”. I used it as part of my own qualification and entry.

If Death Valley is somewhere on your list, this is one of the better ways to build the resume, and considerably more enjoyable than most of the alternatives.

I will be racing

I have run Nove Colli twice. I will be back on the start line for the 200 in May.

I am the UK ambassador for the race, which mostly means I would like to see more British runners in Cesenatico.

Keen to find out more?

Entry is straightforward once you know how it works, but the process is in Italian and takes a bit of navigating. Flights, where to stay, when to arrive, how race morning works: all of it is easier with someone who has been.

Contact me for information and I can help you with the logistics of the event. Fill in the form and I’ll drop you an email.