Race Rules

1. Organisation

The Algarve Marathon is organised by GlobalSport, a commercial brand of GSX Portugal, Unipessoal, Lda., with the support and involvement of the Algarve Regional Tourism Board, Loulé Town Council and Vilamoura World.

2. Races

The races are held under the strict rules of the Portuguese Athletics Federation and World Athletics:

• Marathon – 42.195 km, for participants born in 2006 or earlier.
• Half Marathon – 21.0975 km, for participants born in 2006 or earlier (under FPA rules for races longer than 10 km).
• 10K Run – about 10 km, for participants born in 2008 or earlier.
• Solidarity Walk – 5 km, open to all ages and non-competitive.

Wearing the official event t-shirt is mandatory during the walk. Only properly registered athletes may take part.

3. Time limits

The races have the following time limits:

After the sweeper vehicle has passed, participants still on the course who wish to continue do so at their own risk and must comply with the Portuguese Highway Code. In the marathon, any participant reaching the 23rd km after 12:10:00 and the 33rd km after 13:30:00 must hand in their bib and leave the race and/or board the sweeper vehicle, as they exceed the time limit set for completing the marathon distance. The organisation controls the pace of the Solidarity Walk.

4. Schedule

5. Registration

The data entered during registration is the responsibility of the user, who is fully accountable for its accuracy, truthfulness and authenticity. Registration is made on the event's official platform and is only confirmed after payment. You can obtain your registration receipt by logging in to your personal page on the platform.

Payment must be made within the deadlines shown on the platform. After that deadline, entries will not be accepted due to lack of payment; in that case you must reopen your entry and generate new payment references, at the price and conditions in force at the time. If payment is made after the indicated date, the entry will be cancelled. You have up to 30 days after registering to request a refund, by email to tickets@globalsport.pt, with a 10€ fee for registration management costs.

Any change of registration details costs 5€ and is only possible until 6 November 2026. Cancelled entries are not refunded at any time. Transferring or selling bibs to third parties is not allowed; the organisation will block future entries by anyone who does so, by identifying the bib used.

The organisation reserves the right to assign a VIP bib to guests it invites. Any registered athlete may request a sub-elite bib for the marathon and half marathon, proving a time within the last three years of under 2h30 (men) or 2h40 (women) in a marathon, and 1h10 (men) or 1h20 (women) in a half marathon. Proof must be sent to tickets@globalsport.pt by 1 November 2026, with the subject "Sub-elite bib".

The organisation may at any time suspend or extend deadlines, or add or limit the number of entries, according to technical and structural needs or availability, without prior notice.

Important: the participant expressly consents to their basic data being shared with the insurance company responsible for the mandatory accident and civil liability insurance, as well as to the publication of race results. Under data protection law, you may exercise your rights of access, rectification, erasure or objection via tickets@globalsport.pt.

Register on the official platform

6. Participation kit

To collect the kit, participants must bring their registration receipt and/or photo ID. If the requested t-shirt size is out of stock, an alternative size will be suggested. Kits are collected at the Marathon Expo, on dates and at a venue to be announced on the event page.

The organisation may allow bib collection on race day, up to half an hour before the start, exclusively by the bib holder, on presentation of the registration receipt with bib number, on paper or in digital form. All participants must write their full name, an emergency phone number and any relevant health condition on the back of the bib. If you cannot collect the bib in person, you may send your original receipt with a third party in the days before the race.

7. Prices

Entry prices are structured in the following phases (in euros):

No entries are taken on race day. Online processing fees apply on top of the prices shown. Invoices must be requested after payment, on the page where you registered, within three days. See also the Registration page.

8. Age groups

Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K:

• Senior: athletes born in 2006 or earlier (Marathon and Half Marathon) and born in 2008 or earlier (10K).
• F/M40 (ages 40 to 44).
• F/M45 (ages 45 to 49).
• F/M50 (ages 50 to 54).
• F/M55 (ages 55 to 59).
• F/M60 (ages over 60).
• F/M65 (ages over 65).
• F/M70 (ages over 70).

The age group is based on the exact age on race day. A group is formed only if at least three participants of the same sex are on the start line; groups that are not formed are merged into the immediately younger group. The Solidarity Walk is open to all ages.

9. Aid stations

• Marathon and Half Marathon: every 5 km and at the finish.
• 10K and Walk: a mid-point and the end of the course.

These stations may change depending on weather conditions.

10. Medical assistance

Medical teams will provide the best possible first-response care. Any continued medical care, if needed, will be provided by the Portuguese National Health Service. The organisation is bound to take out the sports insurance required by law, valid for all registered non-federated participants.

If a participant is admitted to a National Health Service institution, they must inform the organisation as soon as possible to activate the insurance, at the risk of the claim not being accepted if notice is not given in time. Payment of any health-service fees is the participant's responsibility and may be reimbursed by the insurer if the claim meets the requirements.

To keep participants and the flow of people and vehicles in order, the course will be staffed by public-order forces, identified volunteers and organisation staff, to whom full attention and cooperation should be given. Vehicles not belonging to the organisation are not allowed. For safety reasons, motorised people, bicycles, accompanying animals, skateboards, skates or other objects that put participants at risk are not allowed.

11. Services

Bag drop

The organisation provides a bag-drop area at the start/finish for Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K participants. You must present your bib to collect your belongings. We advise against leaving valuables or fragile items in the bags, as the organisation is not responsible for any item left at the bag drop.

Showers

Showers will be available, at a location and times to be announced in the event information.

12. Results

Results for the Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K will be published on the official event website and may change if any irregularities are found. There are no individual or team classifications for the Walk.

13. Timing

The race is timed electronically (chip). To be read, the athlete must wear the bib, which contains the chip, clearly visible on the front of the chest throughout the race and in perfect condition. All Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K participants must use the chip provided, which is personal and non-transferable.

The organisation is not responsible for failures in results due to incorrect chip placement. Participants who run with another athlete's chip, with more than one chip, or who miss an intermediate checkpoint will be disqualified.

14. Race jury

The race jury is the responsibility of the Regional Refereeing Council of the Algarve Athletics Association.

15. Prizes

All Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K participants who finish receive a finisher medal. Cash prizes are awarded to the overall men's and women's classification and to the M/F40, M/F45, M/F50, M/F55, M/F60, M/F65 and M/F70 veteran groups. For age-group prizes, at least 10 athletes of the same gender must finish; these prizes apply only to the Marathon.

No overall marathon prizes are paid to men over 2h35:00 or women over 2h55:00. The official prize table and conditions will be published on the official website. Trophies for the top three in the overall men's and women's classifications of the Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K are awarded at the podium ceremony.

Marathon participants, regardless of age group, may receive the prize for their place in the Overall or the Portuguese classification, which are not cumulative; the higher-value prize applies. Marathon and Half Marathon prizes must be claimed by athletes within 30 days of the race, via the "Request prize" form on the prizes page of the website. The receipt or single-act invoice must be issued to GSX Portugal, Unipessoal, Lda., tax number 514779012. Payment is made within 30 days of receiving all documents and in accordance with the instructions of the World Athletics anti-doping committee. Cash prizes are subject to the tax law in force.

16. Offences

The following athletes will be sanctioned:

• Those who do not complete the start control.
• Those who do not complete the full course.
• Those who do not wear the bib clearly visible on the chest during the race.
• Those who falsify any element of their registration.
• Those who run with a bib that does not match their registration name.
• Those who run on the pavements.
• Those who intentionally obstruct other competitors.

17. Appeals

Any complaint or protest must be submitted in writing, to the race jury, on site, within 30 minutes of the results being known, together with a fee of 100 euros, which is refunded if the protest is upheld.

18. Anti-doping

Participants may be subject to doping control, in accordance with the rules of World Athletics and the Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority.

19. Personal data and liability

By confirming their entry, the participant declares that they acknowledge and accept these rules, the data protection terms and the liability waiver. In case of doubt, the organisation's decision prevails.

"I am in excellent health to take part in the Algarve Marathon 2026. I release the organisation and sponsors or other participating institutions from all liability for any accident or injury I may suffer before, during and/or after the sporting event, hereby waiving any legal action against any of the entities mentioned. During the competition I will, as far as possible, cooperate with the organisation to avoid personal accidents. I also authorise the organisation to make promotional use of photos, videos and any other audiovisual material in which I may appear, accepting the publication of my name in the race results, in the media and/or on the internet, without expecting any payment, compensation or reward."

The organisation recommends that all participants undergo a medical check-up before the event. All participants accept the risk inherent to sporting activity. Any matters not covered here will be resolved in accordance with the General Competition Rules of the Portuguese Athletics Federation and World Athletics. The participant consents to the free and unconditional assignment of the rights to use their personal data for marketing purposes and their image captured in official footage and photographs, consenting to its reproduction in media belonging to the organisation or third parties.

Participants' personal data is stored in a file controlled by GSX Portugal, Unipessoal, Lda., domiciled at Avenida Polo 3, nº 72, 4590-052 Paços de Ferreira. The purpose of the file is to manage the data of registered participants. The data may be shared with third parties for marketing purposes. To exercise your rights of access, objection, erasure or withdrawal of consent, do so in writing, proving your identity, to the address given or via tickets@globalsport.pt.

20. Cancellation or postponement

The event may be cancelled due to factors beyond the organisation's control: natural disasters, strikes, demonstrations, pandemic, inability to use traffic routes, inability to use telecommunications, government restrictions or new legislation. In such cases, the organisation reserves the right, within the 30 days following the planned date, to issue an opinion on the actions to be taken, depending on the severity of the cancellation. No refunds will be given.

Contacts

• European Emergency Number: 112.
• Algarve Marathon Command Centre: to be confirmed.

For questions about your entry, see the event Contact page.