‘Clash of titans’ promised in Naples

An elite field is set to challenge the Italian half marathon records in both the men’s and women’s races. Speed has long been the defining characteristic of the Naples event, which currently holds both Italian half marathon records—a unique distinction in the history of Italian road running.

The spotlight will be on a thrilling head-to-head between Yemaneberhan “Yeman” Crippa and Pietro Riva, two of Italy’s finest distance runners.

Crippa returns to Naples as the current Italian half marathon record holder, having clocked 59:26 at the Napoli City Half Marathon in 2022. That performance made him the first Italian athlete to break the one-hour barrier over the half marathon distance and also set a new course record.

Only one other Italian athlete has ever run under one hour for the half marathon: Pietro Riva, who recorded 59:41 in Valencia in 2023, which remains his personal best.

Riva boasts an outstanding career résumé, including European U20 Champion over 10,000 m in 2015 and seven Italian national titles.

The duel promises to be intense. In 2025, Riva showed his exceptional form by lowering his 10 km road personal best to 27:49 in Lille. This came just months after his marathon debut in Valencia (2024) where he impressed with a time of 2:07:37.