Porto marathon returns with a new route but the same ambition

There are 52 nationalities represented among those enrolled in the main event of the Porto marathon program. It’s “a sign of trust”, underscored the organisation.

The 17th Edition of the EDP Porto marathon, that marks the return of the runners to the road, is getting closer and closer. On the 7th of November, thousands of athletes will challenge themselves in the three races that compose the program: EDP Porto marathon (42 km), APO Family Race of healthy bones (10 km) and EDP Fun Race (6 km).

In a presentation of the event, held on Monday afternoon, at Salão Árabe, in Palácio da Bolsa, the organisation revealed that 30 percent of the athletes participating in the main race are foreigners, representing 52 nationalities: “a sign that there’s confidence in the destination, in the organisation and in the Porto marathon itself, that always had cultural diversity as one of its identity factors”.

France, Spain, Italy, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Germany are the countries with more participants, even though the favourites are once again the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes, who will pursue the record of Porto’s marathon, both in the male (2h09m05s) and female (2h26m58s) categories. Amid the Portuguese, the organisation highlighted the presence of Solange Jesus (CD Feirense), who recently won Porto’s half marathon and know makes her debut in the 42 km, and Carlos Costa (S. Salvador do Campo), ranked sixth (and 2nd best, Portuguese) in 2014.

Catarina Araújo, Porto City Hall councillor, confessed an “enormous joy” at seeing an event with the quality, prestige and dimension of the Porto Marathon on the streets of the city. “And even more so because we can do it with all the guarantees of safety and comfort for the participants, as has already happened in the recent Half Marathon in Porto. I hope, therefore, that this event will be a sign of hope and trust for this new beginning, as well”, she emphasised.

“It was a rough year, but we didn’t let up. Today, more than ever, we are all committed to organising the best marathon in Portugal”, assured Jorge Teixeira, Runporto’s chief executive. “Despite the changes we needed to make in the race course this year, we were able to find a good solution, replacing the kilometres in Vila Nova de Gaia for Leça da Palmeira, crossing the bascule bridge in Leixões, for the first time”.

After last year’s postponement, the 17th edition of the most attended Portuguese marathon comes back with several new features compared to 2019, as the works on the lower deck of Ponte Luiz I, operated by Infraestruturas de Portugal, forced the organisation to rethink the route – that no longer goes through Vila Nova de Gaia but Matosinhos and Porto.

The other new feature concerns the finish line, that no longer takes place in Queimódromo, where the Covid-19 Vaccination and testing centre is now located, but in Avenida do Parque, next to the south entry of Parque da Cidade, a reedition of the model adopted until 2014.

To ensure the safety and comfort of all the athletes, the security plan submitted and approved by the Directorate-General for Health obliges all the participants to show, in the act of collecting the participant Kit, the digital vaccination certificate or, a negative Covid-19 test, valid at the date and hour of the event.

The 17th EDP Porto marathon takes place on the 7th of November, and all must be at the starting line at 9am, by Sealife Porto. Informations and registrations, are available on www.maratonadoporto.com until November 2nd.