Porto Half Marathon
| Porto Half Marathon | |
|---|---|
 The race crosses the River Douro over Dom Luís Bridge | |
| Date | September or October |
| Location |
Porto—Vila Nova de Gaia Portugal |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Half marathon |
| Established | 2007 |
| Official site | Sportzone Half Marathon |
The Porto Half Marathon (Portuguese: Meia-Maratona do Porto) 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.[1]
The competition attracts top level elite athletes, principally East African and Portuguese runners.[2] 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.[3][4]
Zersenay Tadese holds the men's course record with his time of 59:30 minutes, set in 2011.[5] Pamela Chepchumba (a two-time winner) set the women's course record of 1:10:24 hours in 2009.[4]
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.[6]
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 do Porto.[7][8]
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 | .svg.png){kind=small} Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) |
1:00:04 | Pamela Chepchumba (KEN) |
1:10:24 |
| 4th[2] | 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 |
References
- ↑ Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2007-09-23). Kipkorir wins Half Marathon in Portugal, as Tergat finishes tenth. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
- 1 2 Rui Silva e Fernanda Ribeira foram os portugueses mais bem classificados (Portuguese). Sapo Desporto (2010-10-10). Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
- ↑ Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2008-09-21). Wanjiru, Chepchumba take Half Marathon victories in Porto. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
- 1 2 Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2009-10-18). Gebrselassie just outside 60 minutes at Porto Half - UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
- ↑ Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2011-09-18). Tadese under one hour in Oporto. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
- ↑ Mapa Dos Percursos (Portuguese). Run Porto. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
- ↑ Run Porto - Our Events (Portuguese). Run Porto. Retrieved on 2011-10-04.
- ↑ 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.