Porto Marathon 2026: your taper to November 8, workouts ready on your Garmin

A flat course between the Atlantic and the Douro

The course is flat: on the official profile, elevation stays below 115 ft, with a small bump in the first two miles and a slight rise toward the finish. The start is next to SEALIFE Porto, by the ocean; the finish is at the Queimódromo, in the Parque da Cidade. According to the organizer, the race crosses three cities, Porto, Matosinhos (about 9 miles) and Vila Nova de Gaia, and passes several landmarks of the Atlantic waterfront.

On the official map, the race first heads north to Matosinhos, comes back along the seafront, then follows the Douro east to a final turnaround around mile 18.6 before returning to the park. This out-and-back layout includes several turnarounds. Time limit: 6 hours; aid stations from mile 3.1, then every 3.1 miles.

Three workouts for a flat course full of turnarounds

Flat but broken up by turnarounds: the key is to get back to pace right after each one, smoothly, then hold it along the river. Ten days out, the goal is no longer to get fitter but to arrive fresh. Three workouts are enough; your assistant builds them and sends them to your watch.

• — Ten days out (Thursday, October 29): 7.5 miles with 3 × 1.25 miles at marathon pace, 2 minutes easy between, with a turnaround in the middle of each block to practice getting back up to speed.
• — One week out (weekend of October 31): 1 h 15 easy, with the last 20 minutes at marathon pace. No longer than that at this stage.
• — Race week (Wednesday, November 4): 30 minutes easy including 4 × 1 minute at marathon pace, 1 minute of jogging between.

The final days: travel, bib pickup and the unexpected

Race day is November 8: the training is done, the taper begins. If you are traveling from abroad, bibs are collected at the Centro de Congressos da Alfândega do Porto on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and at no other time, with your registration confirmation and an ID. So plan to arrive by Saturday, before 7 p.m.

A skipped session, a flight that shifts everything: tell your assistant. It reads your Garmin activities and reschedules your workouts up to November 8, without catching up. The day before, it can send a 26.2-mile race workout with your pace range to your watch. For the 2027 edition, the full Running Workout plan will line up with the date as soon as it is announced.

Bibs and race day

The marathon and the 10K are sold out, the organizer says, for the first time this far ahead; only the Mimosa APO 6K, to run or walk, still had places. For this 22nd edition, the organizers also report a record field from 104 countries. The start is at 8 a.m. After the finish, your assistant analyzes the race from your watch's activity: pace by section, heart rate, how you picked up speed after each turnaround.

Frequently asked questions