Porto Marathon returns to the road on the morning of November 6

The athletics main event returns to the city of Porto on the morning of November 6 for the 18th edition.

In the official presentation of the event, which took place this Monday, at the Palácio da Bolsa, the organization in charge of RunPorto, revealed that athletes from 67 nationalities will participate: 31 from Europe, 11 from America, 10 from Africa, 13 from Asia and 2 from Oceania. The remaining marathoners, athletes and amateur athletes come from various parts of the country.

In the male elite, attention will be focused on Dadi Yami Gemeda from Ethiopia, as well as his countryman, Chele Decasa, and also on the Kenyan Daniel Kipkosgei Kemboi. In the female elite, everything can happen, but the competition can be intense with the participation of Ethiopians Birke Debele, Belainesh Yami Gurmu or Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai from Kenya. The Portuguese athletes, Hermano Ferreiro (EA Coimbra), Carlos Costa (GDC Guilhovai) and José Sousa (AC Praia de Mira) also have good results.

For the 42 kilometres Porto Marathon prime, the majority of those registered are men (84%), women stand at 16%, with an average age of 45 years; in the Family Race of 10 kilometres, 40% are women and 60% are male athletes, with an average age of 42 years; in the Fun Race, the average age of registered athletes is 43 years. In the six kilometres walk, women participate (65%) more than men (35%).

Catarina Araújo, councillor for Youth and Sports of the Porto City Council, attended the presentation of the event, praising the "transversal importance" of the event as "a mobilizing agent of local economies, tourism and the promotion of Porto and the north of the country". “We remain committed to making Porto a strategic destination and to promote major sporting events”, she said. Also underlining "the continuity of initiatives in the area of sport and youth, in which the three municipalities (Porto, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia) are together".

The 18th edition of the EDP Porto Marathon has the support of the Porto City Council, through Ágora – Cultura e Desporto.

Porto Marathon bets on the values of solidarity

The 18th edition of the EDP Porto Marathon starts at 8 am on Sunday, November 6, next to Sea Life Porto, on the Via do Castelo do Queijo, and ends at the Queimódromo, at the entrance to the City Park. This year, due to circulation constraints on the lower deck of the D. Luís I bridge, it will not be possible to cross to the other bank of the river.

As usual, the race includes three distances: the EDP Porto Marathon with 42.195 kilometres, aimed at federated and non-Federated athletes born in 2002 and earlier; the APO Family Race Corrida dos Ossos Saudáveis with 10 kilometres, aimed at federated and non-Federated athletes born in 2004 and earlier, and the EDP Fun Race, a 6 kilometres walk in which all interested parties can participate.

APO Family Race Corrida dos Ossos Saudáveis will raise funds for the Portuguese Association of Osteoporosis. There will also be a toy collection campaign for children at the Expo Marathon, which takes place between November 4 and 5 at the Porto Customs Congress Centre. Between 10 am and 7 pm, in this same space, it will be possible to pick up the participation kits and obtain all kinds of information and offers alluding to the event. On November 5, participants will be able to "charge batteries" with a pasta meal, which will be served between 12 pm and 5 pm. Then you'll be entitled to a fado concert.

Interested parties can also register on the official website of the event until November 1.

The 2021 edition is marked by the return of the face-to-face format

It should be remembered that the 17th edition of the Porto Marathon was marked by the return of the event in the face-to-face format (with eight thousand participants from 57 nationalities) and the mark achieved by Zablon Chumba. The Kenyan marathoner set a new record in the men's race, removing seven seconds from the previous maximum held since 2018 by Ugandan Robert Chemonges. In women's athletes, the first marathon runner to pass the goal was the Ethiopian Kidsan Alemanma, conquering the personal record with the time of 2h28m01s. Carlos Costa and Solange Jesus were the best national athletes, finishing their races in eighth place.