RunCzech president Carlo Capalbo grew up in this teeming city of nearly one million people and always had a dream to organize a major road race here. On Sunday, his Prague-based organization, in coordination with Napoli Running, will stage the largest-ever edition of the Coelmo Napoli City Half-Marathon where, for the first time, over 10,000 runners have been registered (the race is sold out). It is a special moment for the energetic 68 year-old, who at 20 left to pursue an advanced degree in Milan.
“We started ten years ago, and now we reach 10,000,” Capalbo told Race Results Weekly in an interview here today. “It is not 50,000, but it is a good number to escalate things and become a serious and acceptable event.”
Indeed it is more than acceptable. The race carries both a World Athletics Label and has been given a Gold Label by the Italian athletics federation, FIDAL. With a flat coastal course starting and finishing at the Viale J.F. Kennedy, the race is the home of both Italian records for the half-marathon: 59:26 by Yemaneberhan Crippa in 2022 and 1:08:27 by Sofiia Yaremchuk in 2024. On five occasions men have broken the one-hour mark here.
“Of course doing the event in my hometown, which I always dreamed to do something to improve the situation, gave me a double joy, double excitement,” Capalbo added. “If you asked me, ‘Carlo, where will this race be in five years?’ I would say this race will be the new Valencia.”
For Sunday’s edition, Capalbo’s team has pulled together a rare match-up of Italy’s two fastest half-marathoners, Crippa (On Running) and Pietro Riva (Asics). Crippa, 29, and Riva, 28, are the only two Italians to break 60 minutes on a record-eligible course (Crippa has done it twice). Capalbo wanted to create a sort of mini championship, celebrating the fact that both men are European championships medalists at the half-marathon distance: in 2024 Crippa won the gold medal and Riva got the silver.
“In the European Union every year there is one city that is nominated as European capital of the sport,” Capalbo explained (Napoli is the official European Capital of Sport for 2026 as designated by the Association for the Capital of European Sport). “Because Crippa and Riva, one is the gold medal at the European Championship and one is the silver medal, I thought that it would be nice to bring both of them and create a de facto, small, mini, European championship in the year that Napoli is the capital of Europe.”
Crippa has a higher profile than Riva (he was also the 2022 European champion at 10,000m and owns the national records for 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m), but Riva is on the rise and is excited to compete here in Napoli.
“I am feeling excited about running the half-marathon in Napoli,” Riva told Race Results Weekly through a text message. “It’s a wonderful place and I really want to enjoy it and run as fast as I can.”
In addition to the two Italian headliners, there are two other men with sub-60:00 credentials (both Kenyan): Brian Kwemoi Kirui, who has a personal best of 59:26, and Mkulia Kipkandie, who has run 59:48. In all, seven men in the elite field have run 1:01:30 or better.
On the women’s side Capalbo is hoping that Kenyan Viola Cheptoo’s 2020 record of 1:06:47 can be broken (the 2020 race was held just prior to the COVID shutdown). The top three women who are entered (all Kenyans) are Regina Cheptoo (1:08:26 PB), Lucy Nthenya Ndambuki (1:08:58), and Nelly Jeptoo (1:09:14). Elvanie Nimbona, a 1:09:00 runner from Burundi who recently gained Italian citizenship, was forced to cancel due to another obligation with her club.
The top Italian woman entered is Sara Bottarelli (1:11:31 personal best), the reigning Italian half-marathon champion who is also an accomplished mountain runner.
While he would love to see a great competition, Capalbo is just as focused on delivering a quality event for every runner who takes part. He’s particularly proud of the reputation that the race has gained as a well-managed event which he said is the key to sustainable growth.
“I see that next year we can target 12,000,” Capalbo said. “In two years time we can target 15,000. And then we stop there and our energy is for improving services, making the experience more beautiful for people.”
By David Monti
