Rieti in the spotlight during summer of 2024
Nestled in the hills of Italy about an hour north-east of Rome, the small town of Rieti is a special place in the world of athletics. Seb Coe and Steve Ovett ran their fastest 1500m times in Rieti, with the latter’s 3:30.77 in 1983 being one of eight world records staged there. Indeed, such is the reputation of the town’s Guidobaldi Stadium when it comes to fast times, it has earned a reputation as "the Italian temple of running".
Other world records set in Rieti include Asafa Powell’s 9.74 for 100m in 2007, David Rudisha’s 1:41.01 for 800m in 2010, Noah Ngeny’s 1000m mark of 2:11.96 in 1999, Maricica Puică’s mile of 4:17.44 in 1982 and Daniel Komen’s 7:20.67 for 3000m in 1996, whereas Noureddine Morceli set world records for 1500m (3:28.86) and the mile (3:44.39) in 1992-93. Ngeny's and Komen's records still stand today, too.
As well as its long-running end-of-season grand prix meeting, Rieti staged the 2013 European Under-20 Championships where winners included Britain's Dina Asher-Smith and Jake Wightman, plus Belgian heptathlete Nafi Thiam, all of whom went on to win global titles.
With the track located at 1300ft of mild altitude, it has an almost mystical reputation for producing great performances. Athletics aside, the NBA legend Kobe Bryant grew up in Rieti as a child. There are even rumours the Guidobaldi Stadium will feature in the docu-series, Sprint, which is due to hit Netflix in July.
More immediately, the track is being used by athletes as a base ahead of the European Athletics Championships in Rome on June 7-12 and the Olympic Games in Paris later this summer. Italians such as Marcell Jacobs, the Olympic 100m gold medallist, are basing themselves there, in addition to international athletes like Andre De Grasse, the reigning Olympic 200m champion from Canada.
Part of the reason for this is that the track has recently enjoyed an upgrade with the installation of a new CONIPUR Vmax surface from CONICA last year. This is the same track system that is installed at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich, Olympic Stadium in Stockholm and the Stade Louis-II in Monaco, all of which are stops on the Diamond League circuit and also renowned for producing fast times.
The CONIPUR Vmax track was developed in cooperation with the Sports University of Cologne and is known for its top speed, reduced energy consumption during take-off and sprinting, and excellent energy recovery. Given this it is designed to be safe for athletes, preventing injuries.
In addition, the CONIPUR Vmax track has a combination of an energy-reflecting base layer paired with a force-stabilizing top layer ensures a revolutionary running performance. Thanks to its exceptionally high mechanical properties, the track guarantees maximum resilience and durability.
Beyond this summer, Rieti is gearing up to host the European Under-18 Championships in 2026 where a new generation of athletes will be able to enjoy its magical qualities.
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