On Saturday 10 June 2017, Rovereto will host the sports event of the Humanitarian Project "21 km for Peace" organised by the SEV (Volunteer Events Service).

LET'S RUN FOR THE CHILDREN OF ALEPPO

10 June 2017 - evening event - departure 19:00 from Miravalle Hill

The SEV Association, in collaboration with the Opera Campana dei Caduti Foundation and a committee of organisations in Vallagarina and further afield, organises the 1st edition of the 21KM FOR PEACE - Let's run together for a better future - over a distance of 21.097 km.

The motto: "Sport unites peoples"..

City of Peace and Sport Rovereto promotes the peaceful harmony of peoples through the Peace half marathon, creating a new route which covers the entire city and its historic centre. The departure is from the Bell of the Fallen, symbol of Peace and the city of Rovereto, whose evening ringing has become an emblem of union and harmony among peoples and which frames the event in a spirit of solemnity and solidarity. The main focus of this event is the children of Aleppo. Syria today is a symbol of destruction and despair for the future, and should be remembered every day; the ringing of Maria Dolens should be a reminder of this.

The event is primarily a scheme to develop a product: the "active holidays" we are focusing on in order to promote the environmental resources of our region and to spread the message of Peace through the symbol of the Bell of the Fallen and thus enhance media attention on the city. The associations supporting the children of Aleppo are Pro TerraSancta/Ong Onlus, operating in situ: www.proterrasancta.org and Speranza – Hope For Children Onlus, which supports the project "Bread of Hope", distributing free daily bread to children: www.speranza-hopeforchildren.org.

These are no-profit organisations working for those in need and supporting various groups regardless of their religion, social circumstances or ethnic origins. The projects promoted and executed by the associations are of benefit to the Syrian people, with a particular focus on the children of Aleppo.

The finish line is in the city centre at the "Peace Run Village", which is also the centre for collecting race bibs. On arrival there will be a pasta party for all runners, plus the prize-giving and a party for the whole town to end an exciting day of sharing and socialising.

Alongside the 21 km route, there is also a 5 km route for families: the “5KM FAMILY PEACE RUN”, open to all who wish to take part and help spread the message of peace. The Family Peace Run is a huge party involving the whole city, a non-competitive walk/run 5 km long and open to all. It's a walk/run among the city streets, for enjoyment and sharing with family, friends, classmates or even the dog. The event will start at 18:00 and the starting point (the Via Benacense - Via Abetone roundabout) will be indicated with the symbol of the Bell: a stylised metal outline of the bell, surrounded by leaves and flowers - symbolising life; the finish line is the municipal swimming pool in the city centre.

In addition to the 21 km and 5 km routes, collaboration with the Arcobaleno Nordic Walking association allows us to offer the 10 KM WALKING FOR PEACE route, which will depart at 19:00 from Piazza Filzi in the Borgo Sacco district. This is a non-competitive recreational amateur sports event, freestyle and with or without sticks, over a distance of 10 km. There are no limitations on entry, people of any age and ability are welcomed. The route follows part of the half marathon, intersecting at km 10, which coincides with the stretch on Via al Porto.

In collaboration with the S.E.V. association (Voluntary Event Services), the following will be organised in the spirit of sport and international solidarity:
- A competitive half marathon, departing 19:00 from the Bell of the Fallen and accompanied by the bell's solemn ringing.
- A non-competitive 10 km Nordic Walking event, departing at 19:00 from Piazza Filzi in the Borgo Sacco district.
-a 5 km walk for families departing at 18:00 from the Via Benacense-Via Abetone roundabout.

Part of the revenue from the entire event will be donated to a project supporting children in Aleppo, who are suffering so much in these months of the Syrian civil war.

We remind residents that in order to make way for the athletes, the traffic will be diverted from 18:00 to 21:00 and that the Bell will ring at 19:00 to start the event, instead of its normal time of 21:30.