epica dell'acqua 2026

Epica dell'Acqua is a three-day, 100 km race through the Veneto Po Delta in northern Italy, run in October over three stages. Runners and walkers move through a flat, watery landscape of canals, riverbanks, fishing valleys, beaches, pine forests, wetlands, and quiet paths in the lower Polesine area. The name means “Epic of Water,” and that fits the route: water stays beside the course almost the whole way, whether as river, canal, lagoon, or sea edge. The event was inspired by Morocco’s Marathon des Sables, but its tone is different from a desert survival race; the race director has said the stopwatch is not the point, and the format is built around sharing three days outside rather than chasing fast times. The course uses the Po Delta’s network of banks, tracks, coastal paths, and natural areas, including sections that are not usually open to the public. That gives the race a discovery feel, especially through fishing valleys, pinewoods, remote reserves, and beach stretches near the end. People can enter the full three-day race, choose a “full experience” package with lodging, meals, luggage transport, and local products, or run only the final stage. The field suits runners who want distance without a hard-edged race atmosphere: there are aid stations and race logistics, but the appeal is moving through a quiet landscape where land and water keep folding into each other.