Mariana Borges on Romina Rivalry at Ironman 70.3 São Paulo
The triathlete counts on a strong bike split and keeps her strategy under wraps to top her rival in São Paulo.
Mariana Borges broke down her head-to-head battle with Romina Palacio ahead of Ironman 70.3 São Paulo. The triathlete emphasized building a lead on the bike leg and explained why she is keeping her target splits secret until crossing the finish line.
The women's race at Ironman 70.3 São Paulo promises a direct clash of strategies between Mariana Borges and Argentina's Romina Palacio. During the pre-race press conference, the Brazilian triathlete reflected on their past rivalry and highlighted the decisive role of the bike split in the fight for the top spots.
Decisive bike split and mutual growth
In the previous edition of the event, their matchup ended with Mariana taking fourth overall and Romina finishing in fifth. The result came from contrasting race paces: Romina gained the upper hand in the swim and made up ground on the run, while Mariana built a solid 11 to 12-minute cushion over the 90 km bike course.
For this year's race, Mariana anticipates an even higher level of competition. Romina arrives with heavy training volume geared toward the Ironman World Championship in Kona, while the Brazilian also points to improvements in her own physical and technical metrics to hold her ground.
Strategy kept under wraps
When asked about the time buffer needed on the bike to hold off her rival's charge during the half marathon, Mariana said she has the numbers dialed into her head but chose not to share them before the start. In good spirits, she preferred to protect her tactical plan and discuss the details only after crossing the finish line.