“The biggest and most difficult marathon in the world will pass through Altura with dozens of international athletes,” says the Castro Marim City Council in a statement.
Avenida 24 de Junho, in the seaside town of Altura, was thus chosen as the location to represent Europe in this year’s edition of “The Great World Race”.
This event consists of seven marathons, held over seven days on seven continents, explains the municipality in the note.
Approximately 70 athletes of various ages and nationalities began the race in Antarctica (Wolf’s Fang), passing through Oceania (Perth, Australia) and Asia (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), until reaching Altura, “where a unique climate awaits them, a mix of natural and urban landscapes, the Algarve beaches and the traditions of Castro Marim such as salt and flor de sal,” explains the City Council.
The race is taking place for the first time in Portugal and, according to the organizers, is considered “demanding and difficult” for all athletes, who have to overcome the different climates they face and the various locations chosen, each with its own specificities and characteristics, along 42 kilometres, “which makes this initiative unique worldwide.”
The athletes arrive in the Algarve aboard a plane that has become a veritable hotel to rest as much as possible before the next race, says the statement.
Latin America (Cartagena, Colombia) and North America (Miami, United States of America) are the next destinations for the competition, which has an entry fee of approximately US$50,000.
The Algarve event is organised by the Irish company Ice Cap Adventures, in partnership with the Municipality of Castro Marim.
