Among the hundreds of competitive races held every year in Italy, the Giro Podistico di Trento ranks among the oldest events. In addition to being, together with the BOclassic of Bolzano, one of the most prestigious races at regional level, it also enjoys significant importance nationally and is held in high regard internationally. This value has been officially recognized by World Athletics, which has awarded the event the World Athletics Heritage Plaque, a prestigious honor reserved for competitions that have written the history of world athletics.
A tradition that continues to renew itself in the present day, as demonstrated by the victory of local athlete Yeman Crippa in the 2025 edition, further enhanced by the course record set with a time of 28:00. This outstanding result once again confirmed the high technical standard and international appeal of the event, which continues to attract and showcase the world’s finest middle- and long-distance runners.
It is therefore a great race, whose origins date back to the early twentieth century. In 1907, this innovative “foot race,” known as the Giro di Trento, was boldly launched by a committee of sports enthusiasts with the aim of enriching the traditional celebrations of Saint Vigilius, patron saint of the city of Trento, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The race was held on city streets over a distance of approximately 6 kilometers. That inaugural edition was an immediate success, both competitively and as a spectacle, and in the following years it became the most eagerly awaited and significant event of the Saint Vigilius festivities.
For the record, the first edition was won by Isidoro Trenner, representing the Unione Ginnastica Trentina, following the rightful disqualification of Venetian champion Domenico Gottin, who was found to have shortened the course. The route started from Via Santa Croce and passed through Bolghera, Busa, Port’Aquila, Campotrentino, and Via Fondamentale (now Corso Buonarrotti), before returning in front of the old hospital via Via Rosmini and Via Tre Portoni.
The race was held regularly until 1914, the year the First World War began. After the conflict, the event resumed under the new name “Giro al Sas,” taken from the name of the chosen inner-city loop, bordered by Via Roma, Via Oss Mazzurana, Via Oriola, Via San Pietro, and again Via Roma, to be repeated several times. This format allowed the large crowds of spectators to follow the exciting phases of the race closely and repeatedly, while the event was progressively elevated by the participation of nationally renowned champions.
The event was once again interrupted in 1940 due to the Second World War, but in 1945, as a sign of the strong attachment of Trentino sports enthusiasts, the Giro al Sas was reinstated in the same year, precisely on 1 November. This date would become the traditional race day for many years, as the event grew in importance edition after edition, thanks also to the consistent participation of athletes of extraordinary talent.
Confirmation of this legacy comes from the prestigious roll of honor of the event, rich in illustrious names from world road running, as well as from the enormous public following that has accompanied this annual appointment over the decades, transforming it into a true sporting and cultural spectacle for the city of Trento and the entire region.
Year after year, the competitive level of the participants has continued to rise, as evidenced by the list of winners: World Champions, Olympic champions, and world record holders in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the marathon have all honored the Giro al Sas. An extraordinary sporting history, now further certified by the awarding of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque, which consecrates the Giro al Sas as a historic heritage event of international athletics and one of the most prestigious sporting symbols of the City of Trento.
