Your plan in four answers
Set for January 24, 2027, about 13 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- Capped at 3,000 participants
- Taper starts
- January 12, 2027
Course
The Meia Maratona Manuela Machado course
The 28th edition starts at 10:30 in Praça Marquês Júnior, in front of the Centro Cultural de Viana do Castelo, and finishes at the same spot. Runners head along the Marginal do Rio Lima, take short sections of the IP9, then follow the EN202 up the Lima valley over the Portuzelo bridge to a turnaround in Cardielos just after 10 km.
Read the full course notes
The return comes back down the same valley road, passes under Eiffel's iron bridge along the riverside gardens around km 19, and makes a final turnaround on Avenida Campo do Castelo before the finish. It is a flat, fast road course on asphalt, with only short ramps at the IP9 junctions, and the race is named after the city's own marathon world champion.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Half marathon
- Field
- Capped at 3,000 participants
- Weather on race day
- January in Viana do Castelo is usually mild but damp: expect roughly 9–13 °C at the 10:30 start, and rain falls on about half the days of the month. Atlantic wind along the open valley road can be noticeable on the way out or back, so tuck in with a group and bring a dry layer for after the finish.
What to train for
A flat out-and-back course like this is made for an even-paced personal best, so the key sessions are long runs with the final 6 to 8 km at goal half marathon pace and weekly tempo runs of 8 to 10 km.
Practise running in a group and sharing the work into a headwind, because the 10 km out along the Lima valley and the 10 km back can feel very different.
Most of the build falls in December, so plan your long runs around the festive weeks and keep one of them on a wet, windy day to rehearse race conditions.
Sample week
A sample Meia Maratona Manuela Machado training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Meia Maratona Manuela Machado
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on January 24, 2027, your taper starts around January 12, 2027.
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Build me a training plan for the Meia Maratona Manuela Machado (Half marathon) on January 24, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Meia Maratona Manuela Machado training questions
How long should I train for the Meia Maratona Manuela Machado?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Meia Maratona Manuela Machado course hilly?
Flat. The 28th edition starts at 10:30 in Praça Marquês Júnior, in front of the Centro Cultural de Viana do Castelo, and finishes at the same spot.
What is the weather usually like at the Meia Maratona Manuela Machado?
January in Viana do Castelo is usually mild but damp: expect roughly 9–13 °C at the 10:30 start, and rain falls on about half the days of the month. Atlantic wind along the open valley road can be noticeable on the way out or back, so tuck in with a group and bring a dry layer for after the finish.
When should I start tapering for the Meia Maratona Manuela Machado?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on January 24, 2027, your taper starts around January 12, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Meia Maratona Manuela Machado training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.