Running and the marathon phenomena. 

Many cities try to improve their image is by attracting and retaining professional (and not) sport events. Marathon running is a sport that attract thousands of people. The aim of this paper is to present a contemporaneous analysis of phenomena of marathon as a leisure activity. Event sport tourism is a product within sports tourism. They are considerable the impacts of these activities, in particular the interaction of economic, social, place marketing and environmental benefits.

Keywords: Sports Tourism, Leisure Involvement, Italy, Impact Sport Events.