Oh Meu Deus 50K

Oh Meu Deus 50K

The 50K is point to point. It starts in Loriga, which the organiser calls Portugal’s Switzerland, and follows agricultural terraces and an old Roman road to Alvoco da Serra. Then comes the race’s defining climb: a vertical kilometre to Torre at 1,993 m, the highest point of mainland Portugal, on paths once used by transhumant shepherds. The descent goes back down the Loriga gorge, through Valezim and its gardens to Lapa dos Dinheiros, with old chestnut groves, natural pools and waterfalls, and on by Senhora do Desterro to the finish in Seia.

The published distance is 52 km, with 2,900 m up and 3,034 m down. The biggest single effort is the vertical kilometre to Torre, roughly a third of the day’s climbing in one go, so pacing it decides the rest of the race. The 13-hour limit brings the last runners to Seia by 21:00. It suits runners who have finished a mountain marathon and are comfortable on long, steep ascents and technical descents.

Supporters in Seia will not see the start in Loriga. On Livebib the runner shares a link to their own broadcast, opened in a browser with no account or app: position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate for Seia that updates as the race goes. In the gorge and the valleys the signal comes and goes; the position is then carried forward along the course and marked as estimated, never as measured.