Thousands embark on SuperHalfs challenge

The SuperHalfs is a new international half marathon series including races in the cities of Lisbon, Prague, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia. It has established itself as one of the most innovative and stimulating running projects in recent years.

It offers runners the unique opportunity to embark on their own running adventure around great races and beautiful cities. They collect stamps in a digital SuperPassport and a SuperMedal for completing the five-race circuit within a 36-month period.

The much-anticipated SuperMedal was earned by those first finishers in Valencia on 23 October 2022. The first one was given to the Portuguese runners João Cruz who became the first person to earn the title “SuperRunner” by completing his 5th race.

The beautiful new SuperMedal awarded to him and the other finishers includes the name and a cityscape for each race as well as an inscription of the five half marathon race routes – which will hold special and unique memories for everyone who has completed their journey.

The project was initially set to launch in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series got underway in 2022, offering the running community great opportunities to run, travel and have fun in five beautiful cities.

SuperHalfs has proven popular around the world. So far over 15,000 people from 84 countries have begun their journey by registering for a SuperPassport. Most are from Spain, United Kingdom, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Czechia and France. Of those signed up 67% are men and 33% women. The series attracts people of any age ranging from 18-year-olds to seniors over 70 years old. The average time is 2:08 for women and 1:52 for men.

The five races that form the series were selected based on quality; all are certified by AIMS, hold World Athletics Elite Road Race Labels, have been awarded a 5-Star Road Race Standard by European Athletics or have hosted the World Half Marathon Championships.

The focus is on the regular runner and tourist but the SuperHalfs races attract top elite athletes because they are hosted in historic cities on unique and fast courses. They have provided the stage for several World Record performances (2 in Lisbon, 1 in Prague, 1 in Copenhagen and 3 in Valencia).

SuperRunners have 36-months to complete all five races starting on the date they finish their first race. The 36-month period is a rolling window and the possibility to complete all five races never expires. If someone overruns the period it is possible to run the first race again within the rolling window. They can complete the series in any sequence, with any location to start and finish. If a runner decides to run a particular race again, it will replace their first attempt at that location in the SuperHalfs system. Entries for each race are available via each respective event website. Links can be found on the SuperHalfs website: superhalfs.com

By visiting the website, runners can login and create a profile. To do so they need to provide name, photo, date of birth, nationality and gender.

Participants will be issued with a unique SuperHalfs Passport Number, which will be used to track their progress in the series (the passport number can be added to their registration when signing up for an event or a result added retrospectively to their profile after they have completed a race).

Upon completing each race a stamp will appear on this virtual and personalised document. If a runner has already completed races in 2022 (when the series got underway), they can still add these results to their profile.

There is a dedicated Hall of Fame page on the website listing runners who have already completed their journey as well as runners who are still on their way. It shows the finish times of the runner from each race as well as the age category and year of completion of SuperRunners. The list can be filtered according to various criteria.

As the series continues into 2023 it is expected to grow significantly in popularity. It begins on 12 March 2023 with the return of the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon where the current men’s half marathon world record was set. The race provides a fast and beautiful course which starts by crossing the majestic 25 de Abril Bridge and finishes in front of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos Monument.

All 2023 events have been confirmed.

EDP Lisbon Half Marathon – 12 March
Prague Half Marathon – 1 April
Copenhagen Half Marathon – 17 September
Cardiff Half Marathon – 1 October
Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich – 22 October