Niterói Half Marathon: success on the city’s weekendDisclosure/Ascom
The main podium also brought together, in the women’s 21Km category, Mirlene da Silva dos Santos (2nd place) and Glauciele de Oliveira de Souza (3rd place), who was champion in 2023. In the men’s category, the 2nd best time was by Alequessandro Paula da Silva and 3rd place went to Mario Cesar de Moura.
Secretary of Sport and Leisure of Niterói, Rubens Goulart defines the Niterói Half Marathon as a very democratic race, which covers not only the 21 kilometers, which is the characteristic of the race, but also other shorter distance routes. For him, Niterói is a city suitable for this type of sport, and because it is also democratic with the routes, it is democratic in the sport. “It’s a sport that just puts on sneakers and shorts and you can run, so it’s easier . And the Sports Secretariat is always helping with all the events that take place. There are around twenty-five to thirty races a year in Niterói, and in September we will have the Niterói Marathon”, highlighted the secretary.
A resident of Duque de Caxias, in Baixada Fluminense, Laura Espinosa participated for the first time in the Niterói Half Marathon, the route she classified as difficult and challenging. “This is the first time I participate in the Niterói Half Marathon. I liked very much. The route is quite difficult and challenging, and the girls are quite strong. But I really enjoyed the race. The organization is very good. Everything is incredible”, said the athlete who is part of the Corre Comigo sports advisory team.
From the same team and also from Duque de Caxias, soldier and physical education teacher Ronald Jefferson has already participated in the race three times, being champion in 2019 and runner-up in 2018. He has been running for 12 years and trained hard for the competition. “I loved the test. This is my third participation in the Niterói Half Marathon. I had the opportunity to be champion once here, I was second on another occasion and now I have won first place again. I trained a lot to be able to get here and do a good race. Everything went well, he celebrated.
Around 2,500 marathon runners participated in this Saturday’s race, which also included 12km and 6km routes, in addition to a 2.5km walk. In the 12km races, Kelly Souza Rodrigues came first, ahead of Roberta Gaspar D’Aquino and Alessandra da Silva Ferreira. In the men’s category, Wellington Luis Santos Conceição was the highlight and won the competition, beating Rodrigo Ferreira Barreira de Faria and Gilvan Santos Silva, who finished runner-up and third place. In the 6km race, Sandra Martins crossed the finish line ahead of Joice Lima Pereira and Isabele Carneiro. In the men’s category, the podium went to Felipe de Freitas, Vitor Hugo Oliveira Rangel and João Vitor Justino.
The participants started and arrived on the Caminho Niemeyer with different routes depending on the category, to the beaches of Charitas and Icaraí, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Praça Arariboia. The maximum time limit for completing the competitions was up to four hours and all athletes who completed the course within this time, carrying their bib number and competition chip, won a finisher’s medal.
The first to cross the finish line, regardless of time, received a trophy and registration for the 2025 Half Marathon. The first three placed by age group on the 21Km, 12Km and 6Km routes also received medallions. For those classified from 1st to 5th time on the 21Km route, there was also a cash prize. There were also prizes for the three biggest teams.
The 6th Niterói Half Marathon is organized by Karen Casalini, Tamia Casalini, Bruna Casalini and Armando Barcellos. It is carried out by 3ª Eventos with the support of Niterói City Hall, the Municipal Department of Sports and Leisure and Caminho Niemeyer, in addition to the sponsorship of Soter Engenharia.
The organizers were satisfied with the event and have already started thinking about the next edition. “We had a change of date, something we cannot control, but I think we managed to offer the athletes and Niterói an excellent event. We lost some competitors with the change, but the quality of the Half Marathon was not compromised. And that for us is the main thing. We deliver a beautiful and well-executed event. We didn’t have any kind of problem, so I think the mission was accomplished. The city won with a beautiful event and so did the athletes”, said Armando Barcellos, a standout in the national triathlon.
Karen Casalini hopes to bring more athletes from outside Brazil to the competition. “For 2025, the expectation is to bring more athletes from outside the country. This year we already had a large number of athletes from abroad, French, American and German. It was a pleasant surprise for us. So, I think that next year, the Niterói Half Marathon will gain even more international participation”, predicts Karen, also a standout in the national triathlon.
Throughout the weekend, in parallel to the race, several activities take place on Caminho Niemeyer with free entry, including a free balloon ride, animal adoption and sporting goods fairs, presentation of dance groups, children’s toys and a space gastronomic.
The results of the Niterói Half Marathon can be accessed through the website https://neorace.com.br/resultados/
