How can you consistently connect the world of knowledge and culture to the world of sports? Coimbra holds the answer. The “city of students” is not only home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, but is also the host of several associations and sports sections with hundreds of years of history.
Académica’s iconic insignia covers a wide range of sports, the largest and most diverse in Portugal. Still, the most famous representative of this group is the Autonomous Football Organism, simply known as Académica, the team that plays in the country’s first league. Much more than just a football emblem, this team’s past is intimately connected to the history of the city and the country. During the dictatorship lived by the Portuguese until 1974, the team that represented the Associação Académica de Coimbra promoted the ideal of freedom in and outside the field.
Because of all this and much more, it’s obviousthat Coimbra has a special connection to the world of sports, especially after the historical city center’s classification as a World Heritage Site by UNES CO. But why ‘especially’? Because this year Coimbra receives its I Half Marathon – The Knowledge Race!
The race will be held on the last Sunday of the month, September 28th, and is set out to be an event worthy of repetition. “We have been dreaming about this event for so long, not only because of the cultural value of this magnificent brand of global culture, but also because of the beauty and ambience that Coimbra offers to its visitors”, reads the marathon’s official website (meiamaratonadecoimbra.pt/).
The race is an official stage of the World Heritage’s global circuit of half marathons, Running Wonders and national circuit ‘Portugal A Correr’. The chosen route is the most beautiful you can imagine: it includes the University and rua da Sofia, the theme park Portugal dos Pequenitos and the river’s waterfront, as well as the downtown. According to the organizers, “this will be one of the half marathons that will quickly make a statement in Portugal and in the world”. So what are you waiting for to join this race?
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