Running in Portugal #2: Porto-Espinho Marathon, or 50K...

Yesterday was our excursion day to Regua in the Douro Valley, the origin of the Port wine (Porto being the harbor, or port..., where the Port wine was sold and shipped around the world). No running, just some walking, a short cruise on the Douro river and 4 hours of train, out and back.

Today, I went for another long run, all the way to Espinho along the Ocean coast. I had not found this run documented on the web, I was thrilled to discover the most amazing, most pristine, most scenic, and longest bike path I ever ran on. To make the experience even better, the temperature wasn't too high thanks to a nice marine breeze.

This is a perfect place for a long run. Not only the path is in perfect condition, it's uninterrupted for 15 miles and seems to even keep going for many more miles as what they call the Rota Verde dos Parques de Gaia.

I reached the entrance of Espinho from downtown Porto after 13 miles, making it a perfect out and back marathon.

I decided to keep going for 2.5 more miles though to make it a 50K.

And I stopped in Espinho to refuel at a café. Speaking of which, look at the one I found, how appropriate!

This time I ran with my camera so here are 157 pictures taken along the way, mostly of Porto, under an overcast sky in the morning and bright blue one in the afternoon.

If you have the opportunity and the chance of visiting Porto and are up for a run, I strongly suggest this itinerary, even if you turn back before Espinho. Otherwise, enjoy some views of Port and its nearby beaches, from your seat!

PS: my GPS route is available on Garmin Connect.