Portofino Marathon 2027

If, for you, the month of February rhymes with “runny nose” and “blanket on the couch,” it’s high time to change the record. We’re switching to the Italian version 🇮🇹—the one that smells like the sea, lemon, and ambition. We’re taking you to Liguria, in the Province of Genoa, for the Portofino Marathon (aka the Portofino Marathon, for Sunday bilinguals). Here, you don’t come to sort lentils or watch rain fall on a parking lot. You come to run where yachts have bigger budgets than some countries 💸. It’s the event that proves running is WAY more stylish when it has an Italian accent and the smell of focaccia drifting over from the neighborhood bakery 🤤. (No, your brain isn’t playing tricks on you. Yes, it really smells like focaccia. And yes, you’re going to speed up to finish sooner and go eat it.)

Are you up for taking on the mythical distance? OK, it looks scary in the hallway, but it’s also the one that makes you cry with joy on the finish line—don’t worry 🏁. The start is given in Santa Margherita Ligure, and from the first kilometers you understand you’re not on just any marathon. The route first takes you due south, along the Mediterranean under the slightly condescending gaze of villas worth more than your housing savings plan multiplied over ten generations 🏘️. Then it’s north toward Rapallo, and there the course shows its true nature: mostly flat, but with technical turns and slight elevation changes that keep you alert when your legs start thinking about resigning 😅. It’s not a mountain pass, but it’s enough that you can’t completely switch your brain off. After Rapallo, you head south again, to iconic Portofino before the triumphant finish in the seafront gardens of Santa Margherita 🌷. On your left the whole way: the sound of the waves 🌊. On your right: the greenery of Mount Portofino and its maritime pines 🌳. In between: you, in shorts, suffering beautifully. That’s the deal ✨. For those who want the flavor without the 42 km, the “short like an espresso” ☕️ option, aka the “Family Run” of 5 km takes you through the magnificent Bay of Paraggi, because there’s something for everyone. Not to mention the relay “4 x 10.5 km”: the perfect option if you want to share the suffering with friends and be able to pass the buck to the next person 😂.

Your mind is locked in, your legs are on autopilot 🦵, and each kilometer covered is a new reason to thank your ancestors for having the brilliant idea to invent this sport (and Pheidippides for having run that first marathon) ✨. We’re clearly not on a Sunday-morning jog in an industrial zone between two warehouses, but in a high-end movie set where the salty air serves as a natural boost, a caffeinated gel, and a therapist all at once. Three for the price of one! 😎

“What to do after the race?” 🍝 The question doesn’t even come up: you’ve got an unlimited pass for local rehydration. Head to the first terrace for a nice oily focaccia (the basics), or a plate of trofie with pesto that’ll get your batteries back to 100%. Then, for recovery, nothing beats a little climb up to Castello Brown to give your Instagram feed a fresh boost, or a stroll around the harbor pretending to hesitate between two 40-meter sailboats 🤑.

Dolce far niente? Not for us. We prefer dolce far male for the legs 🤌 !