Solidarity Run through Portugal – Izyaslav Koza
Izyaslav (Slava) Koza loves country crossings on foot.
He has been running through his home country USA, UK, France (and Monaco), Cuba, Ireland, Switzerland, his native country Moldova, Israel, Luxembourg and The Netherlands.
Next up is Portugal.
But, just like other south European countries, Portugal is experiencing an exceptional fire season.
Over 14,000 ha burned by early July, described as the worst season since 2017, with maximum/very-high risk covering dozens of interior municipalities from Viana do Castelo down to Faro. As of July 27, fires are still active in Portugal and neighboring Spain/France, and authorities have warned extreme wildfire danger could persist through August.
Risk is heavily geography-dependent: the interior north/centre (Viseu, Coimbra, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Vila Real) is where the real danger concentrates. The Atlantic coast and big coastal towns are running close to normal. So “Portugal is on fire” is true nationally as a risk classification, but the actual danger to a runner depends enormously on whether the route hugs the coast or cuts through the interior.
The August pattern is not reassuring: last year’s comparable period (2025) saw burned area roughly double between July 31 and August 5, with new large fires igniting through mid-August. This is historically when things get worse, not better.
Slava will be running in solidarity with the people and firefighters dealing with this. He wants to support and raise funds during a 15-day north-to-south relay of solidarity. People in every town can participate by running a few kilometers, sharing the story, donating, or hosting the runner.
He’ll start around August 7, provided official fire and weather information indicates it is safe.
The route may change daily based on official safety advice. If authorities discourage travel or outdoor activity in sections of the route, those sections should be postponed, rerouted, or skipped.
The run will be supporting:
- affected communities
- volunteer firefighters
- forest restoration
Original route:
Cevide – Braga – Porto – Agueda – Coimbra – Tomar – Coruche – Alcacer do sal – Odemira – Aljezur – Faro – Sagres.
Slava will be modifying the route to stay all along the coast if it is safer, but he wants to avoid a ferry service in or around Ovar.
For every location along the route we will highlight topics like:
- Firefighters.
- Forests worth protecting.
- Local runner clubs
- Stories from people rebuilding.
- Why this landscape matters.
Opportunity:
Slava is looking for local runners who know which trails are closed, where the local Bombeiros station is, where clean water sources are, and how to navigate around local hazards.
Want to join Slava for a few kilometers, share local trail knowledge, point out water stops, and keep each other safe in the heat?!