🇵🇹 Ultra-Marathon #16 Country #16 - Madeira, Portugal
Some ultra-marathons are fast.
Some are beautiful.
And then there are the ones that humble you.
Madeira was one of them.
At 5:00 AM, while the island was still asleep, I started running.
The humidity hit immediately.
Within minutes, I was already drenched in sweat.
This wasn’t going to be an ordinary 50K.
The route began high in the mountains before descending all the way to sea level.
From there, I followed the coastline from Funchal to Câmara de Lobos, before turning back towards the city.
But Madeira wasn’t finished with me yet.
Thanks to a local runner, Manuel, we climbed into one of the island’s most iconic trails: Levada dos Piornais, one of Madeira’s oldest working levadas.
Steep climbs.
Relentless elevation.
Humidity that never disappeared.
And temperatures reaching 32°C.
Every kilometre demanded complete focus.
This was one of the toughest ultra-marathons I’ve completed so far.
Not because of one single factor…
But because Madeira tested everything at once.
The elevation.
The heat.
The humidity.
And yet, it was impossible not to stop and appreciate where I was.
The mountains.
The Atlantic Ocean.
The dramatic cliffs.
Every view reminded me why this challenge is about so much more than running.
The perfect ending couldn’t have been written any better.
As my watch reached 50 kilometres, I crossed the finish line in front of Cristiano Ronaldo’s museum.
Standing beside his statue, I celebrated the only way that felt right.
Siuuuuu!
People nearby stopped, applauded, and when they realised I’d just finished a 50K ultra marathon, they celebrated with me.
A moment I’ll never forget.
Madeira gave me one of the toughest days of the challenge…
And one of the most rewarding.
Country #16 complete. 🇵🇹
Sixteen countries.
Sixteen ultra-marathons.
One mission.
Running for those who lost their voices.
Run for Voices continues.
50K in 50 Countries.
Follow the journey on Instagram: giuseppe_miuccio
