The capital of Ceará will welcome the Latin American stage of the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 in November this year. The event consolidates Fortaleza as a top choice for the world’s elite athletes. In addition, it boosts tourist revenues for the city and state. This year is the first time that Brazil has hosted the Latin American stage since 2016.
The continent’s IRONMAN 70.3
The IRONMAN Group has just announced the choice of Fortaleza as the host city for the IRONMAN 70.3 Latin American Championship race. The triathlon forms part of the international IRONMAN circuit, and is a qualifying event for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in December next year.
Fortaleza will welcome the elite athletes on 19 November 2023 at Iracema Beach, one of the best in the city. Participants in the race begin with a single-loop 1.9km swim off the beach before cycling 90km and finishing with a half-marathon that ends on the beach.
The winner will take home US$50,000 in prize money. In addition, the top three athletes automatically qualify for next year’s World Championship in New Zealand.
Fortaleza provides “unparalleled race experience”
The event organisers, The IRONMAN Group, highlighted the suitability of Fortaleza as a sporting event destination. Joanna Jordan, Vice President of the Group, called the city “a prestigious destination” and a “Brazilian paradise”.
“Fortaleza has continued to provide athletes an unparalleled race experience since it first began hosting IRONMAN events in 2014,” she said.
The city has hosted IRONMAN events since 2014, when it welcomed the full-distance IRONMAN triathlon. The full-distance race became a 70.3 triathlon in 2017, and since then, Fortaleza has ranked among the top destinations for athletes.
For example, the city stood in the top ten in several categories in the IRONMAN 2022 Global Athlete’s Choice Awards. It also beat all other competitors to be the best destination for a post-race celebration experience.
First for Brazil in six years
Fortaleza has been the host city for seven IRONMAN events in Brazil, the most after Florianopolis. However, the 2023 event will be the first time Brazil welcomes the Latin American championship in six years.
Brazil has only hosted the event twice before. Previously, Brasilia welcomed the continental championship in 2015, as did Palmas in 2016.
Opportunity to showcase Ceará
The November event places Fortaleza and Ceará in the sports tourism spotlight, and offers the capital and state the chance to showcase their offerings. Ceará already welcomes several key sporting events every year, particularly wind and kite surf.
In addition, an event like the Latin American championship of the IRONMAN 70.3 presents the opportunity to boost tourism in the area.
(Source: IRONMAN)
