A student relay marathon will fill Naples' Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on 12 and 13 November 2026. The second edition of "Maratona al Maradona" brings together lower and upper secondary schools from across Campania for a two-day event that links sport to the memory of Miguel Sanchez, the Argentine runner and poet who disappeared after his kidnapping on 8 January 1978.
The Naples event is part of the Corsa di Miguel project, which began in Rome in 2000.
Two days, two school levels
The programme is divided by school level. On 12 November, pupils from lower secondary schools (scuole secondarie di primo grado) take to the track. On 13 November, it is the turn of students from upper secondary schools.
Schools can register until 31 October 2026. The official presentation is scheduled for 6 November at 16:00 at Palazzo San Giacomo.
How the relay works
The full marathon distance of 42 kilometres and 195 metres is divided into 42 legs run inside the stadium.
The planned leg lengths differ by age group: 600 metres for lower secondary students and 1,000 metres for upper secondary students. The format is a relay, with the legs together covering the classic marathon distance.
Who Miguel Sanchez was
The event connects athletics to remembrance. Miguel Sanchez was an Argentine distance runner and poet who was seized on 8 January 1978 and became one of the desaparecidos under the Argentine dictatorship.
La Corsa di Miguel was first held in Rome on 9 January 2000 to remember him. The Naples school relay extends that commemoration to Campania students, using the relay as a shared act of memory through running.
What to know before going
For families and schools planning to attend, the key details confirmed so far are straightforward: the venue is Naples' Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with middle schools running on 12 November and high schools on 13 November.
Registration closes on 31 October, and further details are expected at the official presentation on 6 November at Palazzo San Giacomo. The names of participating schools and the total number of students have not been published in the sources available so far, nor has a detailed timetable for the individual legs inside the stadium.
