Vesuvio Ultra Marathon
Where
Ottaviano, Italy
Date
19 September 2026
Distances
Registration cost
€50–100
What runners say
Reaching the top of the Vesuvius crater with the Bay of Naples at your feet and Pompeii visible from above is one of those images you never forget. You're not just running a trail — you're climbing the volcano that changed history.
Why it's special
A trail on the only active volcano in continental Europe: four distances from 12 to 65 km, starting from Ottaviano and climbing to the Vesuvius crater, with the Bay of Naples at your feet.
What's around
The Vesuvio Ultra takes place in September on the trails of Vesuvius — the only active volcano in continental Europe to have erupted in the last hundred years. The race starts from Ottaviano, a small village at the foot of the giant, and climbs to the crater, with the Bay of Naples opening up on the horizon as you gain altitude. Four distances for four levels of challenge: the Vesuvio Short Trail 12 km (900 m D+), the Spartacus Trail 21 km (1,300 m D+), the Vesuvio Marathon 43 km (3,300 m D+) and the Vesuvio Ultra 65 km (4,000 m D+) — with 30 km to cover before even beginning the ascent to the crater. Naples is just minutes away: Neapolitan pizza, Pompeii reachable by train, Capri 50 minutes by ferry, the UNESCO World Heritage city centre, the Teatro di San Carlo. This is not just a trail race — it is a weekend in the most intense and alive place in Italy.