Milan, 4 December 2023 – The next edition of the Milano Marathon, scheduled for Sunday 7 April 2024, will be called Wizz Air Milano Marathon, by virtue of the agreement signed between RCS Sports & Events and Wizz Air, the new title sponsor of one of the most eagerly awaited events by professionals and enthusiasts worldwide.
The latest edition of the Milano Marathon, which was the 21st edition, was held on 2 April 2023, involved over 20,000 runners, including marathon and relay runners, competing on the 42.195 km city course. In the women’s field, success went to Sharon Jemutai Cherop of Kenya, thanks to an exceptional change of pace in the last kilometre which enabled her to close in 02.26.13. As for the men, winner Andrew Rotich Kwemoi of Uganda, made his debut over the distance with a time of 2.07.14, and Yeman Crippa, also making his marathon debut, with a remarkable performance that earned him fifth place, the best of the Italians, with a time of 02.08.57, confirmed the Lombardy marathon as the fastest in Italy in 2023, once again turning Milan into a true running capital.
The Milano Marathon is one of the running events sponsored by Wizz Air. The new Title Sponsor operates numerous routes connecting Milan with the main capitals of Europe and beyond. Its involvement will further enhance the international dimension of this competition. The number of participants from the rest of Europe is growing steadily: in recent years, it has risen from 9% in 2019 to 22% in 2023. A remarkable trend which is bound to grow even further. With about six months to go before registration opening for 2024, 49% of the total number of registered runners are foreign nationals, with France, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany and Poland making up the vast majority of the nations represented so far. Such data increase the value of sports tourism, a major resource for the entire territory and the city of Milan.
In this edition, moreover, Wizz Air will offer, exclusively to all those registered for the marathon, a 20 €uro voucher for the purchase of an airline ticket for one of its many destinations.
Wizz Air has been named the best low-cost airline in Europe at the World Travel Awards, one of the most prestigious recognitions in the tourism sector, in addition to other accolades won in recent years, including that of being the most environmentally sustainable airline in the world (World Finance Sustainability Awards in 2021-2023, and CAPA-Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence in 2022-2023).
For quite some time now, Wizz Air has been committed to pioneering sustainable aviation practices with the use of fuel-efficient aircraft, as well as investments geared towards reducing environmental impact and CO2 emissions. These objectives fit perfectly with the mission undertaken by RCS Sports & Events in the field of sustainability through the RunGreen project and the involvement of NATIVA- Regenerative Design Company, which supports event organisers in a radical evolution towards regenerative economic models by mapping their environmental, social and economic impacts.
Eva Passmore, Head of Marketing at Wizz Air.
“We are beyond excited to partner up with Milano Marathon and colour the streets of Milan in WIZZ-pink next spring. Low-fare flying and running have a lot in common: they improve people’s lives by getting them on the move, creating new experiences and being affordable and easily accessible to everyone. Wizz Air has always been a promoter of active lifestyle and we have been sponsoring running events since 2015. This year alone, 60,000 runners challenged themselves with WIZZ. Italy is one of our focus markets and we aim to build strong bond between WIZZ brand and Italians by engaging local community and encouraging as many people as possible to join our running events. Having based our first aircraft in Italy only three years ago, Wizz Air now offers tickets on nearly 230 routes to over 40 countries from Italy, flying to more than 90 unique destinations.”
Paolo Bellino, CEO and General Manager of RCS Sports & Events.
“Wizz Air is the ideal partner for the Milano Marathon, Italy’s most popular running event worldwide and one that perfectly embodies a dynamic and proactive image for our country. We will work with the new Title Sponsor to jointly expand the event’s reach and further increase its international popularity. The agreement is perfectly in line with our goals and strategies, which are focused not only on sports results and the growth of participants, but also on sustainability. Finding a sponsor that is so attentive to this issue makes us even more proud of the choice made”.
