João Oliveira is the big winner of the “Algarviana Ultra Trail” (ALUT), which ended this Sunday, December 3, when covering the 300 kilometers of the Via Algarviana in 43 hours.
In this competition, which started in Alcoutim and ended at Cabo de São Vicente, in Sagres (Vila do Bispo), the 60 athletes of six nationalities had to travel, in a maximum of 72 hours, the Via Algarviana. Of the 60 athletes who participated, 17 solo athletes and five relay teams finished the race.
João Oliveira, from Chaves Run Team – Associação Desportiva Dragões de Chaves, «greatly surpassed the other athletes, becoming the winner of the first edition of the longest distance ultra trail competition in Portugal», says the organizers of the competition, which was at in charge of the Algarve Trail Running (ATR) association.
Paul Giblin, Scottish athlete from Compressport International, reached the goal 3 hours and 9 minutes after finishing first and third, equally, with 52 hours and 50 minutes, were Rui Luz, from AMCF – Arrábida Trail Team, and José Faria, from Salming Running Portugal.
In addition to solo participation, athletes could participate in a team, completing the 300 kilometers of the race by relay. In the relay teams, the first place went to “Helpo@Alut”, a team with solidary participation, in second place to the “RUNning” team, and in third place to “Papa Léguas”.
There were only three women in the competition: Patrícia Carvalho, who participated solo in ALUT, Vanessa Pais, from the second team classified by relay, and Fernanda Alves, from the Tartarugas do Asfalto team. Patrícia Carvalho completed 220 kilometers of race, having finished her participation at the Marmelete service station, in Monchique.
Along the way these athletes were the mountains of Caldeirão, Espinhaço de Cão and Monchique, with about 13 thousand meters of accumulated unevenness. The participation counted with six points for the qualification of the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail.
“The nights reached freezing temperatures, but the clear sky and full moon guided the athletes through the Algarve mountains”, says the organization.
THE ALUT, which generated controversy between the organization and Almargem, ended, even so, «with enormous success, crossing nine municipalities in the Algarve (Alcoutim, Castro Marim, Tavira, São Brás de Alportel, Loulé, Silves, Monchique, Lagos and Vila do Bispo) and along a route almost exclusively on the Via Algarviana , a long-distance walking route classified as Grande Route (GR13)».
“The event took place mainly in forest areas, with the main objective of promoting the Algarve interior as an alternative tourist product to the usual choice of beach destination”.
“We are very pleased with the success of this first edition, which places us as a reference on the world calendar. We want to position ALUT in the line of races of equal distance, difficulty and quality that take place all over the world, with particular emphasis in the United States», explains Germano Magalhães, president of the ATR General Assembly.
«The success of this edition will dictate the focus on promotion at an international level, capturing the interest of world-renowned athletes. The race runs through the region from one extreme to the other, revealing the beauty of its interior and takes place almost entirely on the Via Algarviana», he added.
Via Algarviana is mostly located in the interior of the Algarve, it has history, nature and a «excellent» route for the practice of various sports activities. This combination of factors attracted «registrants from countries like – Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Scotland. The Portuguese represent the bulk of entries, with athletes from north to south of the country and islands».
The ALUT was organized by Algarve Trail Running and the Algarve Tourism Region, in partnership with ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal and Águas do Algarve, with the support of AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community and the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ ).
Photos: Nelson Ignatius | Sul Informação
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