Portovenere hosts Rea Palus Race on 18 October

Portovenere hosted the Rea Palus Race Navy Edition on 18 October 2026, bringing an obstacle race to the Ligurian coastal settlement. The event combined running with natural and artificial obstacles and was held with COMSUBIN, the special unit of the Italian Navy.

Rea Palus Race brought timed starts to Portovenere

The programme began with the first Elite heat at 10am on 18 October 2026. The first Open heat followed at 11am, while the organisers scheduled awards for 2pm and the Rea Palus Kids event for 2.30pm at Le Grazie.

The competition offered an Elite and Age Group category, alongside Open options for participants who did not compete against the clock. The organiser describes the main competitive course as 10 km with 25 obstacles, while the Open programme also included a shorter 6 km course with 20 obstacles. The official race programme placed accreditation and the event wardrobe at Palestra La Forza.

Portovenere landscape framed a race with military links

COMSUBIN collaborated on the Navy Edition, and the organiser said the partnership shaped the event’s obstacle design. That link gave the race a defined connection to the site beyond the use of its streets and surrounding terrain.

Portovenere forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage property named Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. UNESCO describes the property as a cultural landscape on the eastern Ligurian coast, where compact settlements, steep terrain and agricultural terraces record continuous human settlement over the past millennium. The UNESCO property description also identifies the settlement as a compact town aligned along the coast and dominated by Doria Castle.

The race therefore placed a modern endurance format inside a landscape shaped by historic settlement and difficult access across steep ground. The natural and artificial obstacles used for the competition echoed that physical setting without changing the protected status of the wider cultural landscape.

Rea Palus Race linked Le Grazie with the main course

The programme extended beyond the adult heats. Children’s races were planned for three age groups, from five to seven, eight to ten and eleven to thirteen, at Le Grazie on 18 October 2026. This made the event a same-day programme for competitive, non-competitive and younger participants.

The organiser presented the Elite category as qualifying for the OCR World Championships and the Italian Obstacle circuit. That sporting pathway was separate from the cultural importance of the venue, but it added a formal competitive purpose to the Portovenere date.

Visiting Portovenere: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Rea Palus Race Navy Edition took place on 18 October 2026 in Portovenere, with the first Elite start at 10am and the first Open start at 11am.
• The race used Palestra La Forza for accreditation and event support, while the children’s programme was scheduled at Le Grazie. The programme was for registered race participants and organised categories.
• Portovenere is in Liguria, near La Spezia, on the coast overlooking Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. The wider area is part of a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.
• The course required participants to run and negotiate natural and artificial obstacles. The organiser listed climbing, crawling, dragging, rolling and running among the physical demands of the format.

Portovenere remains a coastal settlement within a protected cultural landscape, while the Rea Palus Race provided the specific sporting programme on 18 October 2026.

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Frequently asked questions about Portovenere

When did the Rea Palus Race take place at Portovenere?

The Rea Palus Race Navy Edition took place on 18 October 2026, with Elite and Open starts scheduled during the morning.

What is Portovenere?

Portovenere is a coastal settlement in Liguria within the UNESCO-listed cultural landscape of Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto.

Where is Portovenere and how do you get there?

Portovenere is on the Ligurian coast near La Spezia. The race programme identified Palestra La Forza as the accreditation and event-support venue.