Sports
Matheus Menezes Eyes a Clean Race at Ironman 70.3 São Paulo
After setbacks in Nice and Rio, the pro triathlete races at home looking to translate peak training form into race-day results.
Fresh off the World Championship in Nice, Matheus Menezes reflects on lessons learned alongside the global elite and previews his debut on the Ironman 70.3 São Paulo course in pursuit of a solid performance.
Fresh off a flight from France and still adjusting to the Brazilian time zone, professional triathlete Matheus Menezes heads into the Nubank Ultravioleta Ironman 70.3 São Paulo with a clear goal: execute a clean race, free of mechanical issues or health setbacks, and translate the peak form built in recent training blocks into results.
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Lessons from the Nice World Championship
Competing at the World Championship in Nice brought tough challenges alongside valuable takeaways. Early in the bike leg, Menezes suffered a flat tire that compromised his performance on two wheels. He even pulled over on the iconic Col de Vence climb to attempt a fix, to no avail. Lacking optimal tire pressure and taking the descents conservatively for safety, he chose to finish the race anyway—running casually without a watch to soak in the atmosphere rather than recording a DNF.
In the water, diving in alongside Olympic standouts like Hayden Wilde and the global elite was an intense experience. Menezes got off to a strong start, clearing the first 300-meter buoy on pace with fellow Brazilians Iago and Gustavinho. However, after heavy jostling at the 700-meter buoy, he lost touch with the lead pack. Even so, navigating such a ferocious swim pace provided a benchmark for the progress he has been chasing in pool sessions.
Fully focused on an error-free race in São Paulo
After battling a viral bug that kept him from starting in Rio de Janeiro and enduring the mechanical setback in Nice, Menezes views the São Paulo race as a turning point. He emphasizes that the metrics logged during his latest training cycle signal the best physical shape of his career, needing only to mirror that performance out on course.
Despite growing up in the city of São Paulo, this marks his debut on the local Ironman 70.3 course. Because he took up triathlon while attending college abroad, Menezes never experienced the traditional training grind at the University of São Paulo (USP), making the home-crowd presence of friends and family an extra boost of motivation for Sunday.
A stacked start list and global triathlon depth
Sizing up the competition on the start list—featuring names like Santiago Ascenço, Fellipe Santos, Luciano Taccone, Enzo, and Iago—Menezes anticipates a fierce battle from the opening swim stroke. He highlighted the strong recent international showings by Iago and Enzo, noting that mid-pack finishes at world championships reflect incredible competitive depth.
In his view, the gap that sometimes appears in results compared to European pros stems from long-standing regional racing circuits like the German Bundesliga and the French Grand Prix, where athletes race at peak intensity from the junior ranks up. Menezes believes expanding Brazil's domestic racing calendar with Ironman 70.3 events and races like the Americas Cup will help future generations close that gap.
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