Ironman Brasil is a great race for anyone who wants a motivator to stay in shape over the winter months. The race is held at the end of May, which coincides with the end of the fall season in Florianopolis – so the temperature is quite temperate and easy to adjust to coming from Canada.
This race is one of my favourites primarily due to the warm nature of the Brasilian people – everyone from the hotel staff to the volunteers at the race to the staff at the grocery store, all treat you like you are the most important person in the world.
We were lucky to have really wonderful weather this year, with race morning temperature being a very nice 17, and a max of 23 was reached on the day. The somewhat humid conditions were alleviated on the run with a slight rain.
The course itself consists of an ‘M’ shaped swim – with a short beach run to separate the two loops, a two loop bike course – which travels from the north end of the island of Florianopolis to the southern part, through the city and then back to the northern tip before repeating. The run is the most challenging part of the race and consists of three loops – the first being 21.4kms and having a few significant hills, and the second retracing part of the first loop but cutting out the most difficult part and is only 10.4kms. The third loop repeats the second. The loop format makes it mentally easy to mark your progress on the run, and also has a few ‘out and back’ sections where you can either see your friends, or track your competition!
The ocean swim can be a bit challenging depending on the strength of the currents – this year they were quite mild and I was able to have my fastest IM swim ever! Unfortunately, I lost concentration on the bike and missed my goal time by about 10mins, but I was able to refocus for the run, and finished with a good marathon time (for me).
I placed 3rd in my AG with a finishing time of 10:16 – obviously there are some pretty strong women still in the AG 40-44 (wining time was 9:48)!
I recently started wearing the CEP compression shorts and they are amazing – my legs felt very supported on the bike and “springy” on the run. I also wore the compression socks for recovery. I also credit 7-systems with keeping me healthy though the winter months where long hours in cramped quarters for indoor training can bring you into contact with nasty bugs. Both CEP products and 7-systems can be purchased at Running Free.
