Who is in the house
MoaHouse leader · in the house all week
Nordic TigonBrand sponsor · nordictigon.com5 women5 menAverage age 307 spots left
A white villa between Quarteira and Vilamoura, eight runners and the first Algarve Marathon. You arrive on Thursday, you run on Sunday morning, you leave on Monday. In between the week is built around the race: the easy runs, the chef, the physio, the transfers. What is left to you is the part that counts.
The Marathon (+half)
First edition, on 6 December 2026. Start and finish are at Marina de Vilamoura, at 08:30, with forty two kilometres along the Algarve coast.
The Algarve Marathon runs its first edition on Sunday 6 December 2026, starting at 08:30 from Marina de Vilamoura, in the municipality of Loulé. Four distances share the day: the marathon, the half, the 10 km and a 5 km solidarity walk. The race patron is Carlos Lopes, Portugal's first Olympic gold in Los Angeles 1984 and marathon world record holder in Rotterdam in 1985 with 2:07:12.
Faro airport is about twenty minutes from the start. The final course, the start times for each distance and the entry fees are published by the organiser over the coming months, and this page is updated as soon as they are out.
Distance
42.195 km
Road marathon
Terrain
Road
Tarmac along the coast
Elevation
To be announced
Course not published yet
Altitude
Sea level
Marina de Vilamoura
Temperature
13 °C
Mild, cool in the morning
Humidity
Medium
75%
Wind
Coastal
13 km/h
Entry
To be announced
Entries not open yet
Date, start time and location from the organiser, Maratona do Algarve, updated 21 July 2026. Temperature, humidity and wind are December averages for the Algarve. The course, per distance start times and entry fees have not been published yet.
Is this retreat for me?
Relax
Group life
Nature
Sea
Free time
City
Full Program
You land at Faro and twenty minutes later you are at the house: a white villa between Quarteira and Vilamoura, with palms, a wide lawn and a pool twelve metres long. The afternoon is for settling in, and whoever wants to walks down to loosen their legs on the beach, a quarter of an hour away on foot. In the evening we all eat together at the big table, eight people running the same race on Sunday.
Included
- airport transfer
- night in the house
- dinner in the house
Not included
- flights
In the morning we run easy along the coast to Vilamoura, forty five minutes in two pace groups, with the marina opening up at the end. A long breakfast when we get back and half an hour of mobility in the garden with Katia. The afternoon is free: some stay on the lawn, some go and see the beaches under the cliffs, some do not move from the side of the pool. In the evening we eat outside, under the lamps.
Included
- guided run
- mobility in the garden
- all meals
Not included
- flights
Twenty minutes with four strides and the legs are done for the day. We take care of the bibs: while we are at the Marina, back at the house there is the physio, the garden and the sofa. We eat early and go to bed early, because tomorrow we run.
Included
- activation session
- bib collection
- physio
- all meals
Not included
- flights
Breakfast early, at the hour each of us needs. Van to Marina de Vilamoura, a warm up together, and at 08:30 we go: forty two kilometres along the Algarve coast, the first edition ever, with Carlos Lopes as the race patron. We are out on the course and at the finish. Then back to the house, and the afternoon is the one you have earned.
Included
- transfer to the start and back
- support on the course
- all meals
Not included
- marathon bib
Breakfast with no alarm and a last walk in the garden. Whoever still has legs goes down to the beach and throws themselves in. Then the vans to Faro, on your flight time.
Included
- breakfast
- airport transfer
Not included
- flights
What's included in the retreat
4 nights, 5 days accommodation
All meals prepared by chef & nutritionist
Water, tea, coffee, fruit served throughout the day
Recovery protocols
Daily meditation classes
Welcome kit (Sprinta bag, race-week essentials, local gifts)
Post retreat online integration
Pre and post retreat support from our team
Wifi connection
Activities with coaches, pro athletes & mentors
Post-race party
What's not included
Flights costs
Additional treatments
Additional activities not included
What Makes This Retreat Special
The house sits in a quiet stretch between Quarteira and Vilamoura, with the garden all around it: palms, a wide lawn, a small lake with a bridge, and a pool twelve metres by six. The table outside is laid for ten and the kitchen is built to cook for everyone. The beach is a quarter of an hour on foot, and the Marina de Vilamoura, where the race starts and finishes, is a few minutes by car. The afternoons stay empty on purpose, because that is the part of the week that does the work.
Six rooms, each with its own bathroom and air conditioning. Four of the six king beds split into two singles on request, so nobody shares a bed. Four rooms are on the ground floor and two upstairs, one with a tub and one with a terrace over the garden.
A private bathroom in every room
One kitchen for the chef
A long table for twelve
Air conditioning in every room
Hot tub
A 12 by 6 metre pool and the garden
Terrace and outdoor table
Free parking at the house
Shkembor Beshaj cooks in the house, and builds the menus with Alessandra Ippolito, a sports nutritionist who works with endurance athletes. Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, with water, coffee, tea and fruit through the day. On Sunday the race breakfast is served at the hour your wave asks for.
Meals Provided
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Diets Catered
Egg-free
Gluten Free
Vegan
Vegetarian
Eight runners, one race, one house. You do not book a spot, you are selected for one: every house is composed on pace, goals and age, in a band between 26 and 38. For a week the marathon is the ordinary thing everyone at the table is talking about.
Moa is in the house all week: the easy run on Friday, the activation on Saturday, the course gone through together and the warm up on race morning. A marathon runner, with the Olympic dream ahead of her. She handles the last week with you, without adding anything to the work you have already done.
House Leaders
Our dedicated house leaders live in the villa throughout the week, coordinating meals, logistics, recovery, and the daily rhythm so you can focus only on your race.
House leader
Moa
She lives in Vilamoura and stays in the house all week: she meets you on arrival, holds the days together and answers you before you even apply. A marathon runner chasing the Olympic dream.
Certified Nutritionist
Alessandra Ippolito
Sports nutritionist specializing in endurance performance. Optimizing race-week fueling and recovery.
Trail Runner & Yoga Guide
Katia Plazzotta
Trail runner and climber. Brings yoga and mobility to the house.
Private Chef
Shkembor Beshaj
Formerly Langosteria, Milan. Founder of TestaCodaClub.
Brand sponsor
Nordic Tigon
Nordic Tigon is the brand that runs the week with us: their kit is in the house, on the training runs and at the start line. nordictigon.com
How payment works
Nothing is due while an application is read. Money moves only once a room is yours.
01
Application
€0
Read by a person. No card, no commitment.
02
Introduction call
€0
Twenty minutes on the phone, to see whether the house fits.
03
Room assigned
€300
Deposit, within 7 days of the answer.
04
Balance
€900
By 5 December 2026, thirty days before arrival.
Your race bib
Entry to the Algarve Marathon sits outside the retreat price. As soon as the organiser opens entries we can buy yours at cost, or you take it yourself.
Fees not published yet
—
Find your flight
You land at Faro. From the airport to the house is twenty minutes of private transfer, included in the price. The flight is yours to book.
Depart
Faro (FAO)
Arrival
Faro (FAO)
€1,200
Country
Vilamoura, Portugal 🇵🇹
Dates
Dec 3 - 7, 2026 (5 days, 4 nights)
Group
8 guests
Age
26 · 38
Language
English and Italian
Applying costs nothing.€300 when a room is assigned, €900 by 5 December 2026.
