EDP Lisbon Marathon

Fueling strategy for the EDP Lisbon Marathon

For an 08:00 start in mild weather, the protocol calls for 80 to 100 g/h for sub-4h, 60 to 80 g/h for 4 to 5h, and 50 to 70 g/h for slower splits. Sodium 500 to 700 mg/h. The critical issue on this course is that only 2 aid stations carry the official 226ERS gel (km 22.5 and 32.5), so you need 6 to 8 personal gels on a belt or in pockets.

Do carb loading at 8 to 10 g/kg/day across the two days before, displacing fat rather than piling on extra volume. The pre-race meal is at 05:00 (T-3h), with 2 to 3 g/kg of easily digestible carbs: white rice with honey, white bread with jam, banana and coffee. If you catch the 05:30 train, eat at 04:30. Take a 25 to 30 g gel at T-15 minutes from the start, with 200 ml of water.

The Carcavelos to Praça do Comércio course in detail

The first 24 km roll gently between Carcavelos, Oeiras and Algés (roughly 250 m of cumulative gain). From Belém onwards, around km 30, the course flattens out and hugs the Tagus river all the way to Praça do Comércio. Key landmarks: Torre de Belém (km 31), Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (km 32), Padrão dos Descobrimentos (km 33), Cais do Sodré (km 39), Praça do Comércio at the finish. The final kilometre runs over Portuguese cobblestone, so shorten your stride to protect your ankles.

The 12 aid stations, kilometre by kilometre

The organisers confirm 12 aid stations: km 5 Vitalis water, km 9.5 water + Powerade, km 15 water, km 20 water + Powerade, km 22.5 water + 226ERS gel, km 25 water + fruit, km 27.5 water, km 30 water + Powerade, km 32.5 water + 226ERS gel, km 35 water + fruit, km 37.5 water + Powerade, km 40 water. At the finish: Vitalis, Powerade, fruit, Olá ice cream and Mimosa Proteína milk. Since only 2 aid stations carry the official gel, plan your own supply and treat 226ERS only as a backup.

October weather in Lisbon and what it means for sodium

October 10 typically starts at 16 to 18C and can climb to 22 to 24C by the end of the race, with 70 to 80% humidity and roughly a 30% chance of rain. For runners above 4h30, perceived warmth is the decisive factor: push sodium up to 500 to 700 mg/h and use the 3 cooling stations (km 21, 32 and 37.5) to pour water on your cap and legs.

Runners staying in western suburbs should expect Cascais fog at dawn. The NW sea breeze picks up from km 30 along the Tagus. For an unusually warm day (above 25C), consider trimming carb targets by 10 to 15% and prioritising isotonic drink over straight gels.

Race-day logistics: train, packet pickup and bag drop

The only access to the start is by CP train from Cais do Sodré to Carcavelos (about 30 minutes). Departures are 05:30, 06:00, 06:10, 06:20, 06:30, 06:40, 06:50, 07:00 and 07:20. The train assigned to you is printed on your bib. Packet pickup is at the Sport Expo inside FIL in Parque das Nações, on Thursday and Friday from 10:00 to 20:00. There is no race-day pickup. Bag drop is available, with a truck at the Carcavelos start and collection at Praça do Comércio.

Five waves, pacers and cut-off

Five waves every 6 minutes from 08:00 (08:00, 08:06, 08:12, 08:18, 08:24), assigned by your declared finish time. The organisers field 9 pacers: 3h00, 3h15, 3h30, 3h45, 4h00, 4h15, 4h30, 4h45 and 5h00. The overall cut-off is 6 hours. For finish times above 5h, prioritise fluid (roughly 600 ml/h) and solids such as banana and fruit from the aid stations.

History and recent records

The first edition ran in 1985, with over 40 editions since. In 2025 the men's winner was Zablon Chumba (KEN) in 02:07:11 and the women's winner Abebech Afework Bekele (ETH) in 02:29:00. The race is part of the European Marathon Classics circuit alongside Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Rome, Vienna and Warsaw. The sunset finish at Praça do Comércio overlooking the Tagus is one of the most iconic in European marathoning.