It was thinking of families, children and runners, but also of all the employees and volunteers who would come together for the EDP Porto Marathon, that the organizers made the difficult decision to postpone the event to 2021.

Runners usually require several months' preparation before being able to compete in a race as demanding as a Marathon, which is why Runporto and EDP have announced the postponement well in advance - out of respect and responsibility towards the athletes and all entities involved in the organization of the event.

The event, which in 2019 brought together thousands of participants from 75 countries, was originally scheduled for November 8, 2020.

At the request of many regular runners who wanted to run the mythical EDP Porto Marathon this year, the organizers have sought to provide an alternative solution by creating a virtual race. Thus, all runners will be able to maintain the tradition of participating in Portugal's most important road race while respecting social distancing rules and all COVID-19 control recommendations.

The EDP Porto Virtual Marathon is scheduled for November 2-8, 2020, and its main objective is to motivate and inspire the running community while promoting an active and healthy lifestyle.

Participants can choose between two distances - the 42km race or the 6km mini marathon/walk - and complete the chosen distance throughout the November 2-8 week. Everyone who finishes the race will receive a digital race bib, a digital participation diploma, and a fantastic physical medal.

Charity race for Rede de Emergência Alimentar (Food Emergency Network)

As part of their registration fee, participants may also buy baskets of food for deprived families supported by Rede de Emergência Alimentar (Small Basket - €10; Medium Basket - €15; Family Basket - €20).

There's more to this event than the competitive aspect, but the results table for both distances will be posted by the organization at their website. All participants must send their results to Runporto, which will regularly update the leaderboard. The results table is not official.

The concept behind this EDP Porto Virtual Marathon is that all participants can run the marathon anywhere in the world while complying with pandemic prevention/control measures and observing all the restrictions imposed by local authorities.

The magic of completing the EDP Porto Marathon will be possible once again this year!