TRIATHLON

Rainforest and triathlon meet with Challenge Amazonia

By Challenge Family

A challenge in the heart of the largest rainforest in the world. This is what athletes can expect to find at CHALLENGEAMAZONIA on 20 March 2016. The chosen location is Manaus, capital of Amazonas - the largest and best preserved Brazilian state.

With two million inhabitants, Manaus is one of the few cities in the world that can combine forest preservation and a high economic development with one of the largest industrial parks in the country, international hotel chains and shopping malls. The historic center is marked by the beautiful buildings and sumptuous palaces. Among them, the Amazonas Theatre is the ultimate iconic symbol that gave Manaus fame of "Paris of the Tropics".

The start of the event could not be in a better place: the beach of Ponta Negra - the most famous postcards of the North part of Brazil. Bathed by the Black River, with calm and warm waters, the location is ideal for the first stage of the race: 1900 meters of swimming. Then athletes follow the two lap 90km bike leg along the beautiful Ponta Negra waterfront surrounded by the pure air from Amazon. Another unique experience is the biking across the Rio Negro Bridge, the second largest river bridge in the world, at 3.595 metres long. From there, athletes can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the river. Heading back to Ponta Negra, it's time to face the 21 km race in flat course.

Besides the natural beauty of the Amazon capital, the triathletes will enjoy throughout the race, the encouragement of “manauaras fans”, who delighted tourists during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. During the big worldwide event, Manaus received the award from FIFA for being the most hospitable city of the World Cup. The friendliness of the people and the organization of major sporting events also made Manaus one of the venues of the 2016 Olympics.

Besides the Brazilians, access to athletes in North America and Europe is also facilitated through the provision of direct flights from Miami (USA) and Portugal.

The Amazon cuisine is very rich, and especially values ​​the river food. The Amazonian rivers have more than two thousand species of fish. Among the favorite of locals and tourists are the tambaqui, pirarucu, jaraqui and matrinxã. Fruits complement the menu, in the form of sweets, juices, ice cream and soft drinks. Especially from guarana, cupuaçu, tucumã and the world famous acai berry. In addition to regional restaurants, there is a variety of Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and fast food chains restaurants.

The Amazon also brings the ecotourism experience. Jungle lodges offer comfort, convenience and the possibility for tourist to meet the rainforest in times of drought and filled (flooded), through hiking and canoe trips. Undoubtedly, the Amazon is a forest full of attractions for athletes, their families and friends.

The inaugural CHALLENGEAMAZONIA will take place on 20 March 2016 with further information and entries available at www.challenge-amazonia.com.