The Gioia del Colle Half Marathon of 28 April 2026 is a well-known race, though not exactly a beautiful one. The heat made it hard to aim for a personal best and the two-lap course complicated things, even though there was plenty of water and the elevation gain was modest. A final refreshment stop with cold beer and Gioia's typical mozzarella, and a race finished without any particular pain.
A well-known race, though not exactly the most fun, is the Gioia del Colle Half Marathon. Sunday, April 28, 2026, was an incredibly hot day, and managing to run that distance wasn't easy, especially if you were aiming for a personal best.
The multi-lap course complicated things quite a bit. Fortunately, there was plenty of water available along the way, because the sun was really beating down. The low elevation gain still allowed for a potential personal best, though it's obviously not an almost flat race like the one in Margherita di Savoia. Another great thing about this event was the post-race refreshments: cold beer and a local mozzarella cheese from Gioia.
All in all, the race didn't go too badly, and I finished without any particular aches or pains.
