The Porto Half Marathon (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''Meia-Maratona do Porto'') is an annual

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 ...

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

event held in

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, Portugal which follows the

River Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...

. Known as the Hyundai Porto Half Marathon for

sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

reasons, the inaugural edition was held in 2007 and it typically takes place every mid-September. The competition attracts top level elite athletes, mainly East African and Portuguese.Rui Silva e Fernanda Ribeira foram os portugueses mais bem classificados
. Sapo Desporto (2010-10-10). Retrieved on 2011-10-04. Since its inception, all the men's and women's races have been won by East African competitors. Among those to top the men's podium are Olympic champions

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 ...

and

Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He beca ...

, while former world champion over

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

Berhane Adere Berhane Adere Debala ( Ge'ez: ብርሀኔ አደሬ born 21 July 1973 in Shewa) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and the half marathon. She was world champion over 10,000 m in 2003 and world champ ...

, was the 2010 women's winner.Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2009-10-18)
Gebrselassie just outside 60 minutes at Porto Half - UPDATED
IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.

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 ...

holds the men's course record with his time of 59:30 minutes, set in 2011.

Pamela Chepchumba Pamela Chepchumba (born March 8, 1979 in Kapsait, West Pokot District) is an athlete from Kenya. Her best achievements are from cross country running. Aged only 13, Chemchumba competed at the 1992 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, finishing ...

(two-time winner) set the women's course record of 1:10:24 hours in 2009. The half marathon course begins near Freixo Bridge and heads westwards, passing Cais de Gaia and Afurada before turning back on itself. It goes east, crossing the Douro over Dom Luís Bridge and again loops back once the route reaches the area near Freixo Bridge again. The course heads west towards the mouth of the Douro, going past Miragaia and finishing in the ''Jardim do Calém - Fluvial''. In addition to the main half marathon event, there is a smaller 6 km

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 dis ...

which goes from Freixo Bridge to the ''Jardim do Calém - Fluvial''. The race is one of three major annual running events organised in Porto by ''Run Porto'', alongside the

Porto Marathon The Porto Marathon is an annual marathon race in the city of Porto, Portugal, held in October or November, since 2004. Along with the marathon, several races of shorter distances are arranged as well. The marathon is sponsored by Energias de Portu ...

and the

São Silvestre do Porto SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...

.Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2008-01-01)
Masai, Prokopcuka produce the fireworks in Amadora – Portuguese New Year’s race round-up
IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.

Past winners

Key:

References

External links

Official website
{{European half marathons Half marathons in Portugal Autumn events in Portugal Recurring sporting events established in 2007 2007 establishments in Portugal Sports competitions in Porto 21st century in Porto