Garda Trentino Half Marathon: the course, and where to sleep
Twenty-one kilometres through Arco, the Sarca cycle path, Torbole and Riva. Start at 10:15 from the PalaFiere — a few minutes on foot from via Negrelli. Course, distances, entries, and the two things a runner needs.
The Garda Trentino Half Marathon is run on November 8, 2026, starting at 10:15 from the PalaFiere in Riva del Garda. Twenty-one kilometres and ninety-seven metres, on a course that links Arco to Riva by way of the Sarca cycle path and Torbole.
Alongside the half there is a 10K and a 5K, so whoever came along can run too. The field is capped: four thousand eight hundred numbers in all, and they go.
The course.
You start at the exhibition quarter and head for Arco, running through the old town beneath the castle. Then comes the cycle path along the Sarca — tarmac, the river alongside, rock walls left and right — and the descent towards the lake.
The Torbole stretch is the one everybody remembers: you run with the lake open in front of you and the same wind the sailors have been waiting for since noon. From there it is back along the shore into Riva, to the finish.
There are no real climbs. If you are chasing a personal best over the half, this is a course that gives it to you, provided the legs answer.
The race is held in all weather. In Riva in November that usually means ten to twelve degrees on the start line: cold for standing still, right for running.
Entries close early.
Entries close in the days before the race and the field is capped: decide in October and there is still room, leave it to the week before and often there is not. The official information and the entry form are on the event site, which you can also reach from the race listing in our events calendar.
The two things a runner needs.
The first is distance from the start. The PalaFiere sits inside the exhibition quarter, a few minutes on foot from via Negrelli. On race morning that means walking out of the door ready, with no car, no shuttle and no parking arithmetic.
The second is what happens before and after. Breakfast is served at the table and you can sit down early — early enough to let it settle well before ten. On the way back there is the Finnish sauna in the garden, which after twenty-one kilometres of tarmac is the kindest thing you can do to your legs.
For whoever came along.
Riva del Garda in November is a town you cover on foot, with the Christmas markets opening in exactly those days between Arco and the old centre. Anyone not running has a full Sunday, and walks to the finish line.
Common questions.
When is the Garda Trentino Half Marathon?
Sunday 8 November 2026, starting at 10:15 from the PalaFiere in Riva del Garda. A 10K and a 5K are run alongside the half marathon.
What is the Garda Trentino half marathon course like?
Twenty-one kilometres and ninety-seven metres linking Arco to Riva del Garda: the old town of Arco, the cycle path along the river Sarca, a stretch through Torbole and the return along the lake. No significant climbs — it is a personal-best course.
How many places are there, and when do entries close?
The field is capped at four thousand eight hundred and entries close in the days before the race. It is worth entering by October: in recent years places have gone before the deadline.
Where should you stay for the Garda Trentino Half Marathon?
In the centre of Riva del Garda, walking distance from the start. The PalaFiere is inside the exhibition quarter, a few minutes from via Negrelli: on race morning you step out of the door and you are at the start without a car.
