Vila Baleeira Trail Run

On Pico Island in the Azores, the Vila Baleeira Trail Run takes participants on trails around Lajes do Pico, with a format designed for both racers and walkers. The event offers a 30 km race, an 18 km Trail Sprint, a 10 km Trail Curto, and a walk. Previous editions also included options for children and a longer course. This is a trail event, not a road race, and local descriptions highlight technical, challenging paths within the Lajes do Pico municipality. The routes are continuous loops, meaning participants begin and end at the same event hub. One local account characterized the Pico course as a “carousel of climbs and descents,” reflecting the nature of an island trail race rather than a flat speed competition. The event is now in its fifth edition, has been included in the ATRP Ilha do Pico circuit, and its 30 km distance served as the official race for the Taça de Portugal de Trail Final. This brought national-level trail runners to compete alongside those in the shorter distances and walkers.