At Run in Portugal, we love showing Lisbon to travelers on our running tours, but we also love racing! We prefer trail of course, but we you can also find us at a few road races along the way. This year, we’ve already participated in two epic races: “Corrida Fim da Europa”, or, the End of Europe, is a 17 km race from the center of Sintra to Cabo da Roca, the most Western point of continental Europe. We also went to the center of Portugal to run one of the most epic trails in the region: Trilhos dos Abutres.

As we’ve been receiving a lot of requests, we’ve assembled this list of our favorite upcoming running races in Portugal for 2020!

February 2020:

For road runners, we recommend the Half Marathon in Cascais: Meia Maratona de Cascais. This event also has a kids race and a 5 km run. If you’re looking for a fast 10 km race, go to Costa da Caparica for the GP Atlântico.

For trail runners, there are a lot of good races in Portugal in February:

March 2020:

Corrida das Lezírias, in Vila Franca de Xira near Lisbon, is a pretty authentic race of 15,5 km. For Portugal, it’s very flat, so it’s a good one if you want to beat your 15 km record! The most popular race in Portugal in March is the Lisbon Half Marathon. This event also hosts a 7 km run, both start on the 25th of April Bridge.

For trails, we recommend the Louzan Trail, in Lousã (43, 30 and 18 km). If you would like to discover some of the islands of the Azores, join the Azores Bravos Trail on Terceira island. It will be our first time running on this island, so we’re really excited as we’re the biggest Azores fans!

April 2020:

The Maratona da Europa in Aveiro is recommended by fellow runners, but we have not run it yet. It includes a full and half-marathon, plus a 10k. Regarding trail races, we suggest:

May 2020:

May is a busy month for runners in Portugal! For road races, we recommend one of these three half marathons:

And for trail lovers:

June 2020:

In June, the warm summer season starts and therefore, there are fewer races. For road-runners, we suggest Marginal à Noite in Oeiras, 8 km night race. Another night race  is Corrida das Fogueiras in Peniche (15 km). Both have nice routes and a vibrant atmosphere.

If you prefer trail running, we have three recommendations:

July 2020:

July is a calm month road races in Portugal. We have the Corrida Popular da Costa Nova in Ílhavo, near Aveiro (10 km). And for trail, there are a few more options:

August 2020:

For those who don’t fear the heat. In August we have the Ultra Maratona Atlântica in Troia (43 or 21 km). For trail lovers in the Algarve, we recommend the Ultra Trail Rocha da Pena (55, 24 and 16 km)

September 2020:

In September, the Corrida do Tejo in Algés, near Lisbon, is a must. It’s 10 km along the Tagus River. If you’re looking for a half, you should go to Oporto for the Meia Maratona do Porto. And if you want something even more challenging you can always join the Grande Trail Serra d’Arga (43, 25 and 15 km).

October 2020:

In October, for road runners, the Maratona de Lisboa is the place to be, either for a 6 km, half or full marathon. For trails, you should go to the Azores Islnads, for the incredible three-stage Triangle Adventure.

November 2020:

The Maratona do Porto is a great competition to the Marathon in Lisbon. Some say the atmosphere is much better as well as the route. For trail, Penacova, in the center of Portugal, is the place for the Trail do Centro (43, 27, 17 and 10 km).

December 2020:

December is a busy month for running in Portugal: 

For trail, we suggest the Hard Trail Montejunto, close to Lisbon (26, 16 and 10 km).

If you’re looking for other types of races or on other dates and cities, feel free to contact us at Run in Portugal. We’re happy to help! And also, if there’s no race when you’re in Portugal, let us know so we can arrange a sightrunning tour for you!

Join us for a running tour in Lisbon!