Mariana Andrade Eyes Victory at IRONMAN 70.3 São Paulo

With a strategically planned schedule for the second half of the season, Mariana Andrade heads into the Nubank Ultravioleta IRONMAN 70.3 São Paulo confident in delivering a stronger performance than last year. After kicking off the season in Curitiba and tackling the full distance at Ironman Florianópolis, the Santa Catarina native competed in the Brazilian Road Cycling Championship in Brasília. The physical toll and dry weather in the federal capital prompted her to skip 70.3 Rio de Janeiro to recharge and focus on a more effective training block.

Her recent build-up leveraged the massive aerobic base built for the full Ironman while adding higher-intensity stimuli tailored for the middle distance. In Mari's view, her response to the workouts was excellent, putting her in a far more competitive position compared to last year, when she had to battle through recovery from three surgeries before taking on the São Paulo course.

Technical Marginal Route and Racing Free from Data

Addressing the race dynamics, Mari Andrade highlighted the unique traits of the São Paulo course. While the lane swim offers a more linear course—unlike the open ocean waves that have historically played to her strengths—she expects the bike leg to be the differentiator. For her, the route along the Marginal expressway is fast but highly technical and selective due to numerous U-turns, making it more demanding than other stops on the national circuit.

With over 20 years of triathlon experience, the triathlete avoids being overly tied down to cycling metrics. Although she monitors data as a reference point, her pacing is guided by rate of perceived exertion and intuition, striving to sustain maximum speed without blindly relying on heart rate or power meters. This instinctive race execution will be crucial to carving out a competitive cushion before heading into the 21 km run.