Rome, 21–22 March 2026
Two days, a city turned into a race track, a cause worth every kilometre. On the weekend of 21–22 March 2026, the Strongers Social Club community took part in the Run Rome The Marathon: the 5 km Fun Run on Saturday, the charity relay on Sunday — with Strongers runners taking turns on legs of 7 to 13 km through the streets of Rome.
We were not there for the clock. We were there because every step funds lung cancer research, and every researcher supported is one more step towards better treatments.
Why we ran
Strongers Social Club ETS has a clear mission: turn the energy of sporting events into mini-grants for young Italian oncology researchers studying lung cancer. Researchers under 40 — PhD students, post-docs, academic clinicians — who often work on underfunded projects and need real resources to attend an international congress, publish in an indexed journal, or complete a specialist course.
The Strongers for Research grant round funds grants of €3,000 each to selected researchers. The proceeds generated by our participation in Run Rome The Marathon 2026, together with the year's other activities, go directly towards the next grant round.
The community — where we come from
In 2025 the Strongers community at the Rome Marathon brought together 90 runners — 80 in the charity relay and 10 in the 5 km Fun Run — with more than 20 international teams (Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, France and others) and participants aged 13 to 67. That year the Strongers for Research 2024 grant round awarded, in early 2025, 3 researchers with €2,900 each.
That 2025 edition showed us this model works: an international, intergenerational network of people who make a conscious choice about where they run, and why.
The 2026 numbers
The 2026 edition marked clear growth from the previous year:
- 138 Strongers runners at the start — 128 in the charity relay + 10 in the 5 km Fun Run — up from 90 in 2025.
- On 30 March 2026, the 4 winners of the Strongers for Research 2025 grant round were awarded: young lung cancer researchers, €3,000 each.
The gallery above shows how the day unfolded.
What comes next
The next edition of the Run Rome The Marathon will be held in March 2027. If you want to join the Strongers community and run with us for research, keep an eye on the events page: registrations open in autumn.
In the meantime, if you want to support lung cancer research directly, you can donate through our website or direct your 5×1000 tax donation to Strongers Social Club ETS (tax code 96564050589).
