What went down at the Milano21 Half Marathon 15,000 runners, Rockin'1000 and On transform the city into a celebration of sport and music
Sub-zero temperatures, brilliant sunshine and 15,000 runners from 100 different countries – 7,000 of them from abroad – brought the MG Sport FollowYourPassion circuit to a spectacular close with the Milano21 Half Marathon. For the second consecutive year, On, the official FIDAL partner and technical partner for the entire FollowYourPassion running and triathlon calendar, made the experience even richer and more immersive: at the Vigorelli village, athletes enjoyed personalised technical consultations, product testing, shakeout runs, pasta parties, post-race recovery areas and the traditional celebratory cowbell for anyone who set a Personal Best, strengthening the bond between performance, urban lifestyle and community. The Rock Your Race project, created in collaboration with Rockin’1000, placed live bands at ten strategic points along the course, forging a perfect marriage of running and music that accompanied the runners every step of the way and turned the entire city into an open-air show.
At the Velodromo Vigorelli, both the start and finish venue, Italian half-marathon record holder Yeman Crippa was on hand to soak up the atmosphere and cheer on the runners, even though he was not racing as he prepares for the Valencia Marathon in mid-December. In the main 21.097 km race, Kenya’s Raymond Cheruiyot (Run2gether) dominated alone after pre-race favourite Yohanes Chiappinelli withdrew around the 13 km mark with muscular discomfort, crossing the line in 1h03’22”. Riccardo Mugnosso, the 2022 champion, took second in 1h05’16”, while Croatia’s Novosel Tomislav rounded off the podium in 1h05’30”, shaving more than thirty seconds off his 10 km personal best.
In the women’s race, Poland’s Elzbieta Glinka, 2024 national half-marathon champion and 10 km road record holder, delivered a flawless performance, knocking almost two minutes off her personal best to win in 1h10’49”. In the closing metres, Finland’s Nina Chydenius produced a stunning sprint to overtake Italy’s Sara Bottarelli, taking second in 1h11’28” (also a PB improvement of more than two minutes) and leaving Bottarelli with bronze in 1h11’31”. Fourth place went to Olympic runner Giovanna Epis, who finished in 1h12’42” as part of her build-up to a spring 2026 marathon. On the non-competitive 10 km, Zahir Zohair won in 30’24” and Cristina Molteni in 34’32”. Among the participants were Milan’s Sports, Tourism and Youth Policies Councillor Martina Riva, who finished in 1h02’35”, and former AC Milan captain Massimo Ambrosini, who crossed the line in 1h30’12”.
Andrea Trabuio, MG Sport General Manager, summed up the day: «Fifteen thousand athletes, the energy of Rockin’1000’s music, the sunshine and an entire city living this celebration: it was an incredible emotion. A special thank you to the City of Milan, the institutions that believed in the project, our sponsors and, above all, the thousand volunteers who, despite the polar cold, welcomed everyone with smiles and passion». With Milano21, the 2025 FollowYourPassion calendar comes to a triumphant close, once again proving MG Sport’s ability to blend elite sport, mass participation and a truly unique experience that goes far beyond the race itself.
