Hello all!
Tomorrow is the first ever Rome half-marathon for peace, and there will also be a non-competitive 5k held which takes a great route through the centre of city. I'm a bit galled as I really wanted to join in the 5k but my dodgy knees put paid to that (although in all honesty I hadn't got my special "Italian Federation of Light Athletics" card that is necessary to participate, as the bureaucracy seemed so ridiculously impenetrable that I couldn't be bothered...). However I will be there next year! I felt I should be involved as it's a Vatican thing, organised by the Pontifical Council for Culture in collaboration with the Rome city council and the idea is to get people of different religious beliefs - and also those with religious convictions - to run together, which in these times seems like a nice idea. The Pontifical Council for Culture is really well run and generally does these things very well. So if anyone fancies running in Rome I can suggest a date for next year's diary!
I understand there's also an athletics group for Vatican people so I will get in touch with them - I can imagine there being plenty of advantages, hopefully.
They set off tomorrow from St. Peter's Square so they are setting it all up right now under my office and it is making me jealous. Stoooopid IC.