The BOclassic Alto Adige is an annual road running competition over the distance of 10 kilometres for men and 5 kilometres for women. It is held on New Year's Eve in Bolzano, Italy.[1] The competition has only elite races, competed between a limited number of runners, but over 10,000 spectators gather in the streets each year to witness the race. The race has been broadcast live on television by Italian channel Rai Sport.[2]
It was first held in 1975 under the title Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro – inspired by the Saint Silvester Road Race in Brazil, it was the first European New Year's Eve road race (Silvesterlauf).[3] After nine editions as a 13km race, the men's race settled on its 10km format. A women's competition was included in the programme from 1977 onwards and it has been a 5km race since 1987.[4] The Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro changed its name in 1996 into BOclassic Alto Adige.[5]
The course is in the centre of the town of Bolzano. It is a looped circuit, starting at Walther Square and heading west on Via della Mostra before turning onto Via Goethe and Via del Portici. The route then heads southwards along Via Laurin before looping back on itself to follow along Vaile della Stazione back to the starting point.[6]
NB: The race course distances varied in the early years of the competition but the men's distance settled at 10km from 1984 onwards and the women's race has been a 5K run since 1987.[4]
