Event Info Swimrun
Portugal Madeira

Updated January 2025

Event info Swimrun Portugal Madeira; This takes place on the Portuguese island of Madeira, set in the Atlantic Ocean, with a mild sub-tropical climate that has been compared to eternal Spring! This is a mountainous island, and the race route takes in a decent amount of vertical gain - 582 metres in the Sprint and 1,370 metres in the Standard race!

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Event Info Swimrun Portugal Madeira

Location

Madeira is an island in the Atlantic ocean, north of the Canary Islands, belonging to Portugal. It is blessed with a very mild climate due to the influence of the water currents from the Gulf of Mexico, and is called "The Island Of Eternal Spring".

Madeira

How to get there

The closest airport is on Madeira itself; there are 2 airports.

the Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport, outside the city of Santa Cruz. There are regular flights from Lisbon (LIS) and Porto (OPO) in Portugal, as well as other capital cities in Europe.
The Funchal International Airport. Funchal is also the main Port on the island.
There is also the possibility of a cruise ship, but ferries are uncommon.

Where to stay

Swimrun Portugal has not made any particular recommendations. However, this link to Accommodation options at the Madeira Tourism website may be helpful.

There is also plenty of choice on the island at AirBnB, Booking.com and other accommodation websites.

Race distances

There are just TWO race distances at Madeira:

a Sprint distance of 11.38 km,
and a Standard distance of 25.5 km.

The 11.38 km race involves 3 swim legs and 3 running sections. The total swim distance is 2.2 km and total run distance is 9.1 km.

The 24.4 km event involves 3.3 km of swimming over 5 legs, and 22.15 km of running, also over 5 legs.

You can enter any of the distances as a solo competitor or as a team of two.

Race routes

Both races start at the same place; athletes are taken by sea to Ponta de São Lourenço, an idyllic location, and one of the biggest attractions on the island of Madeira. The route follows Caniçal to the city of Machico, crossing a variety of challenging trails such as the climbing Pico do Facho. There are challenging sea conditions on the crossings of Prainha and Ribeira do Natal.

Course maps have not yet been released for 2025.

Portugal Madeira official photo of swimrunners on the seashore

Image courtesy Swimrun Portugal

Event Info Swimrun Portugal Madeira

Energy stations

Around each course there are several water stops, offering hydration (water and electrolyte drinks), and fruit.

Cut-off times

The Sprint race has a cut-off time of 4 hours from the starting gun, while the longer Standard race has a cut-off of 6 hours from the starting gun.

Weather

Held around October, the water is still warm from summer, affected by the Gulf of Mexico! The weather is usually warm and mild, but a little unpredictable. The water temperature is around 20 degrees C, according to the race organiser. Wetsuits are compulsory for both events.

There is always a chance of unsettledt weather, so you should take suitable clothing for every eventuality!

Summary of event info Swimrun Portugal Madeira

The Madeira event of the Portugal Series is at a great location.

Check dates for 2025 at our Calendar Europe 2025 page!

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