The Treviso Marathon has quickly established itself as one of the major marathons in Italy. In last year's 5th edition, there were 4680 finishers.

The course is traffic-free, certified and very fast but performances don't count for record purposes, unfortunately, because the course is overall downhill.

The start is at an elevation of 138 metres in the town of Vittorio Veneto, which is in the Prosecco wine-growing area in the southern alpine foothills. The finish is at 15 metres above sea level in the historic centre of Treviso, a town of about 80,000 inhabitants, just 30 kilometres north of Venice.

It can't be said that the route southward across the densely populated plain is particularly scenic or interesting, but Treviso with its charming old town, its canals and 16th-century town walls is really nice.

The event is well-organized and good value for money. Low cost airlines serve Treviso's airport, 5km from the centre.

In 2008, 42-year-old Helena Javornik from Slovenia won on a very warm day in the fabulous time of 2:28:36, nine minutes ahead of runner-up Laura Giordano. It turned out later that Ms Javornik had been tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug EPO three weeks earlier in a half marathon in Vienna.

Italy's Denis Curzi won the men's race in 2:13:27.

Race report and photos: 7. Treviso Marathon 2010

Map: Vittorio Veneto - Treviso

Event website: www.trevisomarathon.com