“I thought that my running time was over. Instead, it was only the beginning of a new life”
Simone’s story was first told on occasion of Rome’s Marathon. It is a story that falls within the journey told by Ecopneus, where transformation takes place in the course of time and every way can generate a new beginning – just like what happens to materials. It can also lead to new possibilities and create a path that leads to the future.
At the beginning Simone did not enjoy running. Then, almost by chance, he came closer to the world of running taking part in a race in Rome. There, he discovered something he had never really looked for: the energy of racing and the feeling of community that comes with it.
In 2020, he was diagnosed with a non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It was the beginning of a very long and complex period for him. Racing turned out to be a powerful tool to react to this situation and to carry on. As such, Simone decided to set himself a symbolic objective: running the Rome Marathon. Training after training, that goal became his direction.
Simone’s first marathon was a moment of passage. Every kilometre became a way to go back through his own story, between effort and emotion, up to the reaching of the finish line with a new awareness: the one that he can make it.
Since then, running has acquired an even deeper meaning for Simone. It is a “weapon, a shield, and medication”. It is a space where he can find his balance and carry on drafting his way forward.
In the course of the years, the Rome marathon has become a fixed appointment. This year’s edition, the Acea Run Rome The Marathon 2026, has seen Simone participating for the sixth time. It was a moment when Simone renewed the ties with his own path and with the people who accompanied him.
Crossing the finish line made with recycled rubber was not only a sports objective for Simone. It was also a symbol of gratitude for being alive; it was the symbol of a constant rebirth and his medal is the one won by everybody who fight every day to be born again, just like him.
Because the finish line is never the end point, but a path that continues.
