Due to ongoing construction on the D. Luís Bridge, the riverside area of Vila Nova de Gaia is once again excluded from the competition, whose goal is to set times that surpass the 59.30 minutes set by Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea in 2011 and the 1:07.13 hours set by Enatnesh Tirusew of Ethiopia in 2023.
Frenchman Felix Bour, second in the Seville Half Marathon this year, has the fastest time among the competitors, at precisely one hour, followed by Kenyans Brian Kibor (1:00.15), second in Lille, and Simon Maiywa (1:00.26), second in Naples.
Among the Portuguese registered for the event, which sold out in June, Hermano Ferreira (1:01.24), from the Coimbra Athletics School, has the fastest time, followed by Miguel Borges (1:01.54).
In the women’s section, Kenyan Cynthia Chemweno will attempt to repeat her 2024 triumph in Porto, posting a best time of 1:08.41, the second fastest among those present.
Her main rival is likely to be Ugandan Annet Chelangat, with 1:08.12, the fastest among the competitors, while among the Portuguese, Rafaela Fonseca (RD Águeda) stands out with 1:13.25.
Tiago Teixeira, from the organizers, praised the “quality” of the participants, “with several hopefuls running for records, both male and female,” noting that Porto boasts among its list of winners international athletics legends such as Paul Tergat, Samuel Wanjiru, Haile Gebrselassie, and Zersenay Tadese.
“This is a national and international benchmark event, with a very high-quality roster of entrants. It’s a highly dynamic event that further boosts the region’s tourism,” added Luís Pedro Martins, president of Porto and Northern Portugal Tourism.
The organizers revealed that 45% of the participants are foreigners, representing 81 nationalities: 40 from Europe, 17 from the Americas, 11 from Africa and Asia, and two from Oceania.
France, with 977 entrants, Spain, with 693, the United Kingdom, with 667, Brazil, with 323, and Germany, with 213, are the most represented foreign countries.
Óscar Loureiro, 85, and Conceição Grare, 72, are the oldest participants in the race, which has “around 4,000 people waiting for a race number,” a fact that will lead to a meeting between Run Porto and the city government to “study an alternative route that will accommodate more people in the competition.”
Compared to 2024, there has been a three percent increase in female participation, which now represents 37% of competitors, a figure that rises to 70% for the five-kilometre walking challenge that completes the program.
The start and finish lines of the 18th Porto Half Marathon are in Foz do Douro, on Avenida D. Carlos I.
