Porto Half Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Porto Half Marathon is an annual half marathon
road running
event which follows the River Douro, starting in the city of Porto
and ending in Vila Nova de Gaia
. Known as the Sportzone Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons, the inaugural edition was held in 2007 and it typically takes place in either September or October.
The competition attracts top level elite athletes, principally East Africa
n and Portuguese runners. 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
and Samuel Wanjiru
, while former world champion over 10,000 metres, Berhane Adere
, was the 2010 women's winner.
Zersenay Tadese holds the men's course record with his time of 59:30 minutes, set in 2011. Pamela Chepchumba
(a two-time winner) set the women's course record of 1:10:24 hours in 2009.
The half marathon course begins near Freixo Bridge
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 in Vila Nova de Gaia. In addition to the main half marathon event, there is a smaller 5 km mini-marathon which goes direct from Freixo Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia.
The race is one of three major annual running events organised in the city by the Run Porto group, alongside the Porto Marathon
and the São Silvestre Porto.
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
event which follows the River Douro, starting in the city of Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
and ending in Vila Nova de Gaia
Vila Nova de Gaia
Vila Nova de Gaia, or simply Gaia is a city in Vila Nova de Gaia Municipality, Portugal. It is located in the Porto District, south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper has a population of 178,255 and the municipality contains 24 parishes with a total...
. Known as the Sportzone Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons, the inaugural edition was held in 2007 and it typically takes place in either September or October.
The competition attracts top level elite athletes, principally East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n and Portuguese runners. 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
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
and Samuel Wanjiru
Samuel Wanjiru
Samuel Kamau Wanjiru was a Kenyan athlete, who specialized in long distance running. He became a professional at a young age and broke the world record in the half marathon when he was 18 years old...
, while former world champion over 10,000 metres, Berhane Adere
Berhane Adere
Berhane Adere is an athlete from Ethiopia.Adere held the African record for 10,000 metres in a time of 30:04.18, set at the 2003 World Championships, where she won gold...
, was the 2010 women's winner.
Zersenay Tadese holds the men's course record with his time of 59:30 minutes, set in 2011. Pamela Chepchumba
Pamela Chepchumba
Pamela Chepchumba is an athlete from Kenya. Her best achievements are from cross country running....
(a two-time winner) set the women's course record of 1:10:24 hours in 2009.
The half marathon course begins near Freixo Bridge
Freixo Bridge
The Freixo Bridge is a Portuguese bridge over the Douro river, connecting Vila Nova de Gaia and Porto....
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
Dom Luís Bridge, Porto
The Luís I Bridge is a metal arch bridge that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal...
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
Miragaia (Porto)
Miragaia is a Portuguese parish of the municipality of Porto. It is 0.49 km² in area with 2,810 inhabitants as of 2001.Local landmarks include Santo António Hospital, the ancient city walls of Porto, built by Ferdinand I and several palaces and churches.- External links :*...
and finishing in the Jardim do Calém in Vila Nova de Gaia. In addition to the main half marathon event, there is a smaller 5 km mini-marathon which goes direct from Freixo Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia.
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 Portugal....
and the São Silvestre Porto.
Past winners
Key:| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2007 | 1:01:39 | 1:11:23 | ||
| 2nd | 2008 | 1:01:24 | 1:10:26 | ||
| 3rd | 2009 | 1:00:04 | 1:10:24 | ||
| 4th | 2010 | 1:00:09 | 1:13:49 | ||
| 5th | 2011 | 59:30 | 1:10:36 |