| Giro di Castelbuono | |
|---|---|
 The Castello dei Ventimiglia sits at the centre of the small town | |
| Date | Late July |
| Location | Castelbuono,Sicily, Italy |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | 11.2 km |
| Established | 2000 |
| Official site | Official website |
TheGiro di Castelbuono (officiallyGiro Podistico Internazionale Castelbuono) is an annualroad running competition over 10 kilometres which takes place inCastelbuono, on the island ofSicily,Italy. First held in 1912, the competition, which holdsIAAF Gold Label Road Race status, is one of the oldest road races inEurope,[1] which is the inspiration for the event's nickname –la Corsa più antica ("The Oldest Race").[2] The race, typically held on (or around) July 26 to coincide withSaint Anne's Day, has been held almost every year since its inauguration, although the twoWorld Wars interrupted the event over those periods.[3][4] The race has been broadcast every year for a decade by Italian television channelRai Sport Più.[5]
From 2011 onwards, the race departed from its long-standing original distance of 11.3 kilometres and switched to a certified 10 km circuit.[6] 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 ViaCamillo Benso Conte Di Cavour before heading back north along ViaVittorio Emanuele II. The course then followed ViaUmberto I in a north-westerly direction which arrives back at the starting point.[7] The race is a challenging one for athletes as they must contend with a difficult uphill section on each lap.[8]
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 holdersKhalid Khannouchi andPaul Tergat, three-timeLondon Marathon winnerMartin Lel, and four-time road running World ChampionZersenay Tadese. The pre-international era of the race also featured prominent runners, includingGelindo Bordin,Orlando Pizzolato,Venanzio Ortis,Franco Fava, as well as Sicily's ownLuigi Zarcone.[5] 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 includedRome Marathon winnerGloria Marconi,Florence Marathon winnerFlorence Barsosio and multipleMajor Marathon championMargaret Okayo.[9]
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m:s) | 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 toWorld War I | ||
| 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 toWorld War II | ||
| 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 | 34:22 | Fiamme Oro Padova |
| 54th | 1979 | Orlando Pizzolato | 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 | 34:50 | Champion Ferrara |
| 59th | 1984 | Orlando Pizzolato | 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 | 33:27 | Alitrans Verona |
| 63rd | 1988 | Gelindo Bordin | 33:27 | Alitrans Verona |
| 64th | 1989 | Salvatore Bettiol | 32:45 | CUS Ferrara |
Key: Course record 10 km course 4.5 km course
37°55′57″N14°05′15″E / 37.9324°N 14.0875°E /37.9324; 14.0875
