“Great honor” – The New South Tyrolean daily newspaper

The Bolzano New Year’s Eve Run, which is being held for the 50th time, will be awarded a heritage plaque in the competition category.

Big award for the Bolzano New Year’s Eve run in the run-up to the 50th edition on Tuesday, December 31st:

As announced by the international athletics association World Athletics, the renowned South Tyrolean running event will be awarded a heritage plaque in the competition category. The Bolzano New Year’s Eve Run follows its example, namely the New Year’s Eve Run in São Paulo in Brazil, which received this award in 2019.

The Bolzano New Year’s Eve Run, held for the first time by the Bozen Runners Club as a purely men’s race with around 100 participants in 1975 based on an idea by Josef Mulser, Hans Pircher, Toni Ritsch, Toni Stampfer and Günther Andergassen, was the first of its kind in Europe and emulated that of São Paulo, which was launched in 1925.

Two years later, women were allowed to compete for the first time in Bolzano; the start and finish have been on Waltherplatz for decades. However, until 1983 the route was different and was 13 km long for men and 6.5 km for women. In 1996 the event in Bolzano was renamed BOclassic Südtirol and with this name it still stands for a road race at the highest level.

Today all races that are part of the BOclassic Südtirol are held on the 1.25 kilometer long circuit in the city center of Bolzano. The men’s elite race is usually 10 km long, the women’s 5 km long. The 5 km is also covered as part of the Ladurner Fun Run, which is why the amateurs have a direct comparison with the fastest athletes in the world.

There are also youth races, as well as the non-competitive Pensplan Centrum Just for fun.

The record winner is Serhiy Lebid with five triumphs

Serhiy Lebid from Ukraine is the most successful male athlete at the BOclassic Südtirol with five wins, while Ethiopian Berhane Adere is the best woman with four wins. Currently, Eyob Faniel, who won the men’s race in 2019, and Nadia Battocletti, the silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 10,000 m and winner of the women’s race at the 49th BOclassic, are the last winners from Italy.

Now the Bolzano New Year’s Eve Run has been awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque, a location-based award given for an outstanding contribution to the global history and development of athletics and athletics disciplines outside of stadiums such as cross country running, mountain running, road running, trail running, ultra running and walking .

An event with a worldwide reputation

Sebastian Coe, President of the World Athletics Association, said: “The Bolzano New Year’s Eve Run was the first road race in Europe that ended the old year and ushered in the new one.” The international reputation of the BOclassic attracts a top-class elite field every year. Vivian Cheruiyot, Birhane Adere, Tegla Loroupe, Uta Pippig, Elly van Hulst, Edwin Soi, Daniel Komen, Salvatore Antibo, Emiel Puttemans, Dietmar Millonig and many more are among the illustrious list of running greats who have been victorious since 1975.”

In the fifty years of its existence, the BOclassic has become a part of the social fabric of Bolzano, whose citizens take to the streets to either train in the recreational runs or to cheer on all participants, whether elite or popular runners. “Congratulations on the 50th edition, an anniversary that World Athletics would like to recognize with the award of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque,” said Coe.

A milestone that may be followed by many more

Christiane Warasin, head of the organizational team, and Andreas Widmann, president of the organizing Bozen Raiffeisen running club, are pleased: “We are of course happy and proud to have reached this important milestone of 50 editions of BOclassic Südtirol.” But for us, this is Not only a milestone, but also a starting point for hopefully another 50 editions of our event at the highest level.”

The city of Bolzano is also proud of its 50th anniversary.

“The BOclassic South Tyrol is an event for the people of Bolzano. This is probably one of the reasons why the New Year’s Eve run is so popular and can rely on the help of many volunteers year after year. “The city administration is still fully behind this event, which puts Bolzano at the center of the international running scene on the last day of the year,” explains Bolzano’s mayor Renzo Caramaschi.

Program of the 50th BOclassic South Tyrol – December 31, 2024

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Start number distribution in the race office (Pfarrheim Bozen)

12.50 p.m.: Pensplan Centrum Just-for-fun (1.25 – 5 km = 1-4 laps)

1.40 p.m.: Ladurner fun run (5 km = 4 laps)

2.30 p.m.: Raiffeisen Youth Cup (from 1.25 to 2.5 km = 1 or 2 laps)

3 p.m.: BOclassic Elite Men (10 km = 8 laps)

3:40 p.m.: BOclassic Elite women (5 km = 4 laps)

4 p.m.: Elite race award ceremony