How Voturuna Park Became São Paulo's Trail Running Hub
In Pirapora do Bom Jesus, the venue grew from 300 to 3,000 visitors a month by democratizing trail running.
Located along Estrada dos Romeiros, Voturuna Park underwent a major transformation by expanding its infrastructure for trail running. Today, the outdoor hub draws thousands of athletes and serves as an entry point for anyone looking to run in the mountains.
Anyone who regularly cycles or runs along Estrada dos Romeiros has likely come across Voturuna Park. Located in Pirapora do Bom Jesus, about 8 km from the Km 48 gas station, the venue has established itself as the premier outdoor sports hub in the state of São Paulo, bringing together cyclists, triathletes, and mountain runners with end-to-end training infrastructure.
During the week, the facility caters to the corporate market with events and commercial shoots. On Saturdays and Sundays, it opens its doors to the general public, who can access the amenities through subscription plans or day passes.
Full infrastructure and athlete support
Voturuna's service model was designed to solve an athlete's logistics before, during, and after a workout. Visitors spending the day have access to parking, complimentary breakfast, locker rooms, ice baths for muscle recovery, and an area with specialized sports nutrition curation. Services such as a Finnish sauna and towel rentals are available as add-ons.
Beyond physical amenities, the local geography is the main draw for endurance workouts. The park features a mountain trail network with marked route options of 7.5 km, 10 km, 15 km, and 21 km, serving everyone from athletes looking for short runs to those needing serious cumulative elevation gain.
From cycling heritage to a management turnaround
Voturuna's property originally operated as a warehouse affiliated with Bike For Life, a traditional bike shop in Moema. When the founders decided to step away, entrepreneur Pavani took over and funded the venue for roughly a year to keep supporting sports in the region, despite a modest flow of around 300 monthly visitors.
The turning point came when JP Perpétuo and Rodolfo Morais stepped in to manage the business. Coming from corporate and tech backgrounds, the duo took on the challenge of professionalizing the physical facility in Pirapora do Bom Jesus, realizing the space needed to expand beyond road cycling to achieve sustainable scale.
The trail running boom and entry into the mountains
The major opportunity emerged when management analyzed global growth figures for trail running, backed by metrics from platforms like Strava. Unlike cyclists or triathletes who can train indoors on stationary trainers in the city, trail runners rely directly on mountains and technical terrain to progress.
Another decisive factor was accessibility: to start trail running, an athlete only needs a pair of running shoes. This lower barrier to entry turned Voturuna into an onboarding hub for mountain running while also paving the way for brand launches and community meetups. With marked trails and an on-course safety team, attendance jumped to an average of 3,000 people per month, solidifying the venue as a benchmark for off-road training.