Lake Garda Half Marathon: The Garda Trentino Half Marathon Guide

The half marathon is 21.097 km, held under the patronage of the municipalities of Riva del Garda, Arco and Nago-Torbole. The start is on Via Baltera next to the PalaFiere in Riva. From there the organiser’s 2026 course map shows the route leaving Riva through its eastern districts, heading up the valley to Arco, looping through the town and coming back down beside the river Sarca to the lake near Torbole. The final stretch follows the lakefront round the foot of Monte Brione to the finish on Spiaggia Sabbioni, the beach at the top of our best Lake Garda beaches list.

There are water stations at km 5, 10 and 15 and food at the finish. Runners start in five colour-coded pens by expected time, from red for those under 1:20 to green for two hours and over and first-timers, with a white pen for Nordic and fit walkers. Free pacers cover finish times from 1:24 to 2:09. The course records stand at 1:01:10 for men, set in 2005, and 1:12:19 for women, set in 2023. The map and GPS track are on the organiser’s site, linked below.

Registration for the 2026 edition opened on 1 March and was due to stay open until 31 October or until the field filled. It filled in about three months. Entry is online only through the organiser’s site; there is no registration at the expo or on race day. The 21K is open to runners born in 2008 or earlier.

The organiser took the 21K fee table down once the race sold out, so we cannot quote it. As a guide to how pricing works, the 10K rose in steps from €20 in March and April to €35 in September and October, with a €2 optional charity supplement, and the fee covered a technical shirt, medal, race pack, bag drop, showers and the shuttle back from the finish.

Runners who live outside Italy have three routes in. Members of a club affiliated to World Athletics upload proof of membership. Others can buy a Runcard and upload a competitive athletics medical certificate, using the organiser’s health form signed and stamped by a doctor, at least five days before the race. The third route is the “tourist-sport” category, open only to foreign residents who are not club members: you sign a liability waiver, you get a time, but you do not appear in the official rankings.

The start, expo, bag drop and showers are all at the PalaFiere on Via Baltera, on the northern edge of Riva del Garda, and the organiser says the parking areas in front of it are free. Bag drop opens at 8:00 on race morning. Because the finish is on the lakefront rather than back at the start, a free shuttle bus for runners and companions loops between the finish area and the PalaFiere from 8:30 to 14:30, with a stop on Viale Rovereto near the Stadio Benacense, about 150 metres from the finish line.

Riva has no railway station. The nearest main-line station is Rovereto, with buses on to Riva; see our Lake Garda trains guide. If you are flying, the Verona Airport to Lake Garda page covers the nearest airport.

Stay in Riva del Garda if you can: you can walk to the start and walk back from the finish. Arco and Torbole are both on the course and a short drive or bus ride from the PalaFiere. With several thousand runners and their families in town, rooms go early, and the organiser lists partner hotels on its site.

Note that the race falls after the end of the main season. Many lakeside hotels and most campsites further south have closed by early November, so check that a place is open before you plan around it. Our best Lake Garda hotels list and the Lake Garda weather in November page will help.

The finish on Spiaggia Sabbioni is the obvious place to watch, and it is a ten-minute walk from Riva’s harbour. The lakefront between Torbole and Riva, where runners are in the last few kilometres, is the other good spot and can be reached on foot or by bike along the lakeside path. In Arco the course loops through the town, so you can see the field mid-race there instead.

There are tastings at the expo on the Friday and Saturday, and the organiser offers a baby parking service for runners with small children; details and booking are on its site.

The course uses public roads in Riva del Garda, Arco and Nago-Torbole, including the lakefront between Torbole and Riva, and they are closed to traffic while the race passes. The organiser’s pages we checked do not give closure times, so we will not guess them. If you need to drive in or out of Riva, Arco or Torbole on the morning of Sunday 8 November, check the municipal notices nearer the date and allow extra time, or travel before the 9:30 start of the 10K.

Lake Garda 42 (LG21), April. The spring alternative is the half marathon within PEAK Lake Garda 42, organised by Communico Italia. It is a point-to-point race from Arco to Malcesine by way of Torbole, on the same day as a full marathon from Limone sul Garda to Malcesine. The organiser lists the next edition for 9 to 11 April 2027.

Padenghe Half Marathon, 1 November 2026. At the southern end, the 18th Padenghe Half Marathon starts from Via Verdi in Padenghe sul Garda and runs through the hills behind the lake, finishing at the town hall. Women start at 9:00 and men at 9:40, and there is a 9 km race too. Entry with a race pack was €28 to €38 depending on the date, with the last price valid until 26 October.

Which to choose comes down to season and scenery. Garda Trentino is the big autumn race with the largest field; Lake Garda 42 gives you a one-way run to Malcesine in spring; Padenghe is a smaller race through the hills behind the south-west shore. The rest of the calendar is on our Lake Garda events page.