Porto Half Marathon

The Porto Half Marathon (Portuguese: Meia-Maratona do Porto) is an annual half marathon road running event held in Porto, Portugal which follows the River Douro. Known as the Hyundai Porto Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons, the inaugural edition was held in 2007 and it typically takes place every mid-September.

Porto Half Marathon
The race crosses the River Douro over Dom Luís Bridge
DateMid September
LocationPorto—Vila Nova de Gaia
 Portugal
Event typeRoad
DistanceHalf marathon
Primary sponsorHyundai
Established2007
Course recordsMen's: 59:30 (2011)
Eritrea Zersenay Tadese
Women's: 1:09:23 (2017)
Kenya Monica Jepkoech
Official sitePorto Half Marathon
Participants2,461 finishers (2021)
3,791 (2019)

The competition attracts top level elite athletes, mainly East African and Portuguese.[1] 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.[2][3]

Zersenay Tadese holds the men's course record with his time of 59:30 minutes, set in 2011.[4] Pamela Chepchumba (two-time winner) set the women's course record of 1:10:24 hours in 2009.[3]

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 which goes from Freixo Bridge to the Jardim do Calém - Fluvial.[5]

The race is one of three major annual running events organised in Porto by Run Porto, alongside the Porto Marathon and the São Silvestre do Porto.[6][7]

Past winners

Key:   Course record

Edition Year Men's winner Time (h:m:s) Women's winner Time (h:m:s)
1st 2007  Jonathan Kipkorir (KEN) 1:01:39  Lenah Cheruiyot (KEN) 1:11:23
2nd 2008  Samuel Wanjiru (KEN) 1:01:24  Pamela Chepchumba (KEN) 1:10:26
3rd 2009  Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) 1:00:04  Pamela Chepchumba (KEN) 1:10:24
4th[1] 2010  Stephen Kibet (KEN) 1:00:09  Berhane Adere (ETH) 1:13:49
5th 2011  Zersenay Tadese (ERI) 59:30  Doris Changeywo (KEN) 1:10:36
6th 2012  Benson Barus (KEN) 1:01:44  Alice Mogire (KEN) 1:10:23
7th 2013  Samuel Ndungu (KEN) 1:01:48  Mercy Kibarus (KEN) 1:11:11
8th 2014  Bernard Kipyego (KEN) 1:00:38  Purity Rionoripo (KEN) 1:10:40
9th 2015  Emmanuel Bor (KEN) 1:01:06  Monica Jepkoech (KEN) 1:10:26
10th 2016  Daniel Rotich (UGA) 1:00:59  Nao Isaka (JPN) 1:12:12
11th 2017  Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 1:00:06  Monica Jepkoech (KEN) 1:09:23
12th 2018  Mike Kiptum (KEN) 1:00:53  Susan Kipsang (KEN) 1:11:06
13th 2019  Maxwell Rotich (UGA) 1:01:14  Antonina Kwambai (KEN) 1:09:42
14th 2021  Luís Saraiva (POR) 1:03:11  Solange Jesús (POR) 1:15:43

References
  1. Rui Silva e Fernanda Ribeira foram os portugueses mais bem classificados (in Portuguese). Sapo Desporto (2010-10-10). Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
  2. Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2008-09-21). Wanjiru, Chepchumba take Half Marathon victories in Porto. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
  3. Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2009-10-18). Gebrselassie just outside 60 minutes at Porto Half - UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
  4. Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2011-09-18). Tadese under one hour in Oporto. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
  5. Mapa Dos Percursos (in Portuguese). Run Porto. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
  6. Run Porto - Our Events Archived 2008-10-22 at the Portuguese Web Archive (in Portuguese). Run Porto. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
  7. 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.
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