Skip to main content

The 2011 Venice Marathon in Video and Pictures


by Brett Larner

photos by Mika Tokairin
elite race video by Alberto Stretti
running video by Brett Larner

For the third straight year JRN was on-hand to cover the Venice Marathon, this year helping to host Courir Magazine editor-in-chief Yukiya Higuchi who ran the race for a feature article in the November issue of Courir.  After several days of rain the entire race weekend saw excellent conditions on the cool side with sunny skies at the start outside Villa Pisani on the banks of the Brenta in Stra.



The excellent weather was conducive to good times in the elite races, where Kenyan Helen Kirop took nearly four minutes off the Venice record with an outstanding 2:23:37 and Ethiopian Tadese Tolosa Aredo led three men under 2:10 with a 2:09:13 win. Defending champions Harun Makda Haji (Ethiopia) and Simon Mukun (Kenya) both finished 2nd.





At last year's 25th anniversary race the Venice city council had for the first time granted permission for the race course to pass through Venice's most famous landmark, the Piazza San Marco. Unexpectedly high water forced organizers to use a backup course which bypassed the piazza, leading the council to grant permission again this year to make it up to all those who came last year in the expectation of being the first to run San Marco. Nature cooperated, and this year's marathoners were rewarded with a scenic dogleg through the crowded square with just over 1 km to go.  JRN's Brett Larner ran the marathon with a video camera to capture the fourteen bridges in the last 3.5 km and the first-ever running of the Piazza San Marco segment.



The course proved very popular with both runners and spectators, with tourists adding to the cheering crowds. It wouldn't be surprising to see the San Marco course become a regular feature, an essential attraction of the Venice Marathon even if the 7000 available places already sell out six months in advance. JRN's Mika Tokairin focused on photos in and around the Piazza San Marco. Click any photo to enlarge.

In high spirits just before heading into the piazza.

Two-way traffic amid thick crowds at the entrance to the piazza.

Turning around at the Museo Archeologico end of the piazza.

Higuchi hard at work in the turnaround with the camera he carried while running.

Supporters in front of the Torre dell'Orologio.

Passing the Basilica di San Marco with 1.2 km to go.

Almost out of the piazza, in front of the Palazzo Ducale.

Out of the piazza and heading along the waterfront to the finish near the Giardini Pubblici.

Post-race pasta and pie in the Giardini Pubblici.

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
photos (c) 2011 Mika Tokairin
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

TokyoRacer said…
Looks like a lot of fun!
I refer, of course, to sitting at an outdoor cafe next to the water with a cappucino and watching the runners go by.
October 28, 2011 at 9:39 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...
3 comments
Read more

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .
Post a Comment
Read more

Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

Last year's top 3 Sheila Chepkirui , Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba are back for this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon on Mar. 8, but things are being set up more for it to be a race between Chepkirui, 2:17:49 in Berlin 2023, Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda , 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024. Aynalem has the freshest sub-2:20 of the 3, with neither Chepkirui nor Maeda having done it in 2 years. Maeda's only recent result is a 1:10:07 from Houston last month, but when she ran her NR she didn't have any kind of tuneup race to indicate her fitness so it's probably best not to read too much into that. If it goes out as a 2:18 race those are the only 3 who can probably hang with it. If it turns out to be more of a 2:20 race like when Chepkirui won in 2:20:40 last year then there's a group of 7 at the 2:20-2:22 level who will be in the picture, including Chumba, Selly Chep...
Post a Comment
Read more