EDP Lisbon Half Marathon is an annual international

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

competition which is contested every March in Lisbon,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. It carries IAAF Gold Label Road Race status. The men's course record of 57:31 was set by

Jacob Kiplimo Jacob Kiplimo (born 14 November 2000) is a Ugandan long-distance runner. He is 2020 Tokyo Olympic 10,000 metres bronze medallist and also won bronze in the event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Kiplimo earned gold medals in the 5000 m ...

in 2021, which is the current

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for the half marathon distance.World Athletics (2021-11-21)
Kiplimo_breaks_world_half_marathon_record_in_Lisbon._World_Athletics
._Retrieved_on_2021-11-22._Kenya.html" ;"title="World Athletics">Kiplimo breaks world half marathon record in Lisbon. World Athletics
. Retrieved on 2021-11-22. Kenya">World Athletics">Kiplimo breaks world half marathon record in Lisbon. World Athletics
. Retrieved on 2021-11-22. Kenyan runners have been very successful in the competition, accounting for over half of the total winners, with Tegla Loroupe taking the honours in the women's race on six separate occasions. The Lisbon Half Marathon is not to be confused with Luso

Portugal Half Marathon Luso Portugal Half Marathon or Luso Meia Maratona de Portugal is an annual half marathon contested every October in Lisbon, Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose ...

, another prominent half marathon race which is also held in Lisbon in October.

History

First held in 1991, the race has consistently delivered fast winning times. However, many of these times have been unratifiable for record purposes due to factors including: the course being too short (1991–93), excessive tailwinds, as well as there being an excessive drop in altitude, which boosted athletes' performances (1996, 1998, 2000–01, 2004, and 2006).Krol, Maarten (2009-03-29)
Lisbon International Half Marathon
Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-03-22.Moreira, Cristina & Costa, Paulo (2005-03-13)
Tergat runs 59:10 in Lisbon Half Marathon
IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-22. The course was judged as non-permissible for records until 2008, in which year the organisers changed the elite course to allow for records. The new course begins at

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

on the north side of the river

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

, a change which made the course entirely flat. The course for the mass participation race, which has attracted almost 30,000 runners in previous years, remained unchanged and begins by crossing the Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge before linking up with the new elite course.Dixon, Andy (2009-05-06)
Lisbon Half-Marathon
''

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in Em ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-03-22. The current elite course of the half marathon begins in a small town on the north bank of the Tagus, no longer crossing the bridge, and the course is wide and flat from there on. Heading eastwards towards the city centre, the course passes the docks and traces a route alongside much of the city's historical architecture, including the

Belém Tower Belém Tower ( pt, Torre de Belém, links=no, ), officially the Tower of Saint Vincent ( pt, Torre de São Vicente, links=no) is a 16th-century fortification located in Lisbon that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portu ...

and

Jerónimos Monastery The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery ( pt, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, ) is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis ...

. From 2008 onwards, the organisers set aside a €50,000 prize pot for any athlete breaking the

over the

distance. This led to the participation of a number of prominent athletes, with marathon world record holder

Haile Gebrselassie Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champion ...

winning the 2008 edition, while Charles Kamathi and Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot followed behind.Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2008-03-16)
In largely solo run, Gebrselassie takes Lisbon Half Marathon
IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-22. Another strong field was assembled in 2010 and

Zersenay Tadese Zersenay Tadese (Tigrinya: ዘርእሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is an Eritrean long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. His bronze medal in the 10,000 metres ...

of Eritrea broke both the 20 kilometres and half marathon world records in his winning run. The competition also hosts a

mini marathon A mini marathon is a long-distance road race of a distance which is less than a marathon. The term is sometimes used in place of "Half Marathon" (OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis), but can also be applied to races of other d ...

race, which has featured many prominent Portuguese citizens, including the former

President of Portugal The president of Portugal, officially the president of the Portuguese Republic ( pt, Presidente da República Portuguesa, ), is the head of state and highest office of Portugal. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, an ...

Jorge Sampaio Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. A member of the Socialist Party, a party which he led between 1989 a ...

, and José Socrates, the Portuguese Prime Minister. Energias de Portugal has sponsored the competition for a number of years. The 2020 edition of the race was first postponed to 2020.09.06, and then to 2021.05.09, due to the coronavirus pandemic.https://files.cdsi.pt/maratona/comunicado_coronavirus_2020.pdf