Mariana Andrade Looks Ahead to Ironman 70.3 Floripa
The triathlete reflects on her season, assesses her São Paulo podium, and breaks down her strategy for Jurerê.
In an interview with Stemma Sports, professional triathlete Mariana Andrade reflects on her comeback season and details her preparation for Ironman 70.3 Florianópolis. Racing on home turf, Mari shares advice for age-group athletes and evaluates the stacked women's pro field.
On the eve of the Nubank Ultravioleta Ironman 70.3 Florianópolis, professional triathlete Mariana Andrade spoke with Stemma Sports about preparing to race on home soil. Coming off a consistent streak this season, the athlete broke down the lessons learned from her last race and shared her expectations for tackling the Jurerê course against one of the most competitive women's fields on the national circuit.
Reviewing Ironman 70.3 São Paulo and preparing for Floripa
At Ironman 70.3 São Paulo, Mariana claimed second place overall and clocked the fastest bike split of the day. To chase down the leaders early on, she took a gamble with an aggressive pace over the first 30 to 40 kilometers of the bike leg—a strategy that took a heavy toll in muscle fatigue during the transition to the run. Although she started the half marathon feeling the extreme strain, she held her pace to secure a spot on the podium.
The short four-week turnaround between São Paulo and Florianópolis required careful planning. With no room for high-volume training blocks, her routine was split between initial post-race recovery, two focused weeks of quality workouts, and a final taper leading up to race day in Santa Catarina, bringing her to peak form to compete in front of the home crowd.
Strategy, start list, and advice for Ironman 70.3 Florianópolis
With the course moving from Ingleses to Jurerê, Mari Andrade stressed the importance of staying calm and disciplined in the final days before the race. For age-groupers—including her 25 registered coached athletes—her primary advice is to avoid unnecessary fatigue from walking the expo floor, trust the training they have already put in, and embrace the challenge with a positive mindset without trying to experiment with new routines at the last minute.
In the professional division, the race brings together 15 elite competitors, featuring strong international contenders and Brazilian Olympic triathletes like Djenyfer Arnold and Vittoria Lopes. Mari Andrade's strategy remains clear: stay as close as possible to the leaders in the swim to minimize the gap, push hard on the bike—her strongest discipline—to regain positions, and deliver a consistent run to the finish line.