Swimrun Tâmega 2027

On the banks of the Tâmega, between Porto and the inland, a beautiful Portuguese playground has recently emerged 🇵🇹. The Swimrun Tâmega takes place in early May in the valley of the same name, between the municipalities of Penafiel and Marco de Canaveses, not far from Porto, in northern Portugal 📍. Four distances make up the program, labeled ÖTILLÖ Merit Race, paving the way to the World Championship held every year in the Stockholm archipelago 🇸🇪.

The story of this race owes a lot to a twist of fate disrupted by the pandemic 😷. Sérgio Moreira, from the region and won over by swimrun after taking part in the Rockman in Norway, launched the project as early as 2020 with the support of Bruno Safara, the man who introduced the discipline to Portugal a few years earlier ⏳. The first edition, initially planned for that year, ultimately had to wait until 2021 due to the health situation, nevertheless becoming the very first race organized in the country after the lifting of restrictions 🙃. About sixty competitors showed up that day, all already familiar with the concept 🦠.

The river itself dictates the route, never letting itself be forgotten 🌟. The start sets off from the Entre-os-Rios marina, along the Tâmega and the Douro, before heading back upstream through an alternation of swims and running 🏃🏼‍♀️. The passage through the village of Rio de Moinhos is one of the highlights of the course, with a climb up to the viewpoint at the chapel of Senhor dos Remédios, perched at 245 m above sea level and completed in 1904 📚. The site, locally known for its candlelit procession visible from dozens of kilometers away, offers competitors a breathtaking view of the ground already covered and what still remains to run 🕯️. The finish, meanwhile, takes place right in the middle of the Parque de Lazer de Alpendorada e Matos, in Marco de Canaveses.

Four formats, plus two reserved for children, now make up the full program—enough to find the perfect fit and the right size 🤿. The "Discovery" kicks things off over 4 km, an individual distance designed as a quick introduction to the discipline ⚡️. The "Sprint" climbs to 19 km, also to be done individually, offering 2,750 m of swimming split into 4 sections and 13,650 m of running in 5 sections—that’ll clear out the cobwebs 🥵. The "Standard" stretches over 32.4 km with 3,250 m of swimming across 7 sections and 27,150 m of running in 8 sections, for 1,220 mD+, and this time opens to pairs as much as to solo racers, in case you prefer to suffer alone or split the bill 🤝. The "Marathon", the flagship format labeled ÖTILLÖ Merit Race, covers 42 km including 5,250 m of swimming in 10 sections and 37,150 m of running in 11 sections for 1,220 mD+. This one is also raced solo or as a team, with the understanding that the winning pair earns direct qualification for the World Championship held in the Stockholm archipelago 🏆. You could say there’s a MEGA lineup for the Tâmega! 🤓

The organization has made environmental restraint a declared pillar of the event, summed up by the slogan "more self-sufficiency, less plastic" ‼️ Plastic cups banned, wooden medals, T-shirts sourced from the local economy, biodegradable signage: every logistical detail helps limit the race’s footprint ✅. Along the way, several tons of waste have already been removed from the riverbanks over the course of the preparatory clean-up editions ♻️.

Passing things on also holds a special place in Sérgio Moreira’s project, as he wanted from the outset to include a component dedicated to youth, to spark vocations even before driving age 😄. The Swimrun Tâmega Academy, developed in partnership with the Paredes Aventura club, now supports young athletes across five age categories: the "Patinhos", ages 4 to 5, who run as a duo with a parent or an accompanying adult—they’re wearing fins before they can even read 🤣. Then the "Castores", ages 6 to 10, who set off individually; followed by the "Iniciados" (11–12), the "Juvenis" (13–15) and finally the "Juniores" (16–18), all solo 🐣. Several dozen children take part in this part of the weekend every year, with giant mascots, music and activities that extend the festive atmosphere well beyond the adults’ finish line 🎉.

There’s plenty here to turn a competition weekend into a direct dive into the long history of northern Portugal, with trail shoes and bib number packed in the bag 🎒.