Trail Running in Northeast Brazil: Diogo Andrade on Growth
Triação founder discusses developing the sport in Bahia, sports tourism, and challenges for races outside the South-Southeast axis.
Diogo Andrade, founding partner of Triação Assessoria Esportiva, analyzes the evolution of trail running in Bahia and Northeast Brazil. In a conversation with Sidney Togumi on Stemma Na Trilha, he discusses training professionalization, regional tourism potential, and the barriers still limiting athlete circulation across the country.
The Brazilian trail running ecosystem often shines its spotlight and attracts large participant contingents to the South-Southeast axis, where traditional mountain ranges like the Mantiqueira and Serra dos Órgãos dominate much of the competitive calendar. However, the trail running scene in the Northeast is experiencing technical maturation and rapid growth. Leading Triação Assessoria Esportiva for two decades in Salvador, Diogo Andrade details the steps that have transformed the state of Bahia and the Northeast region into thriving hubs for the sport.
Triação's history reflects the broader evolution of Bahia's sports market: founded with a focus on road running and triathlon, the coaching consultancy expanded into open-water swimming at Porto da Barra and built a dedicated trail running division. This movement began organically more than a decade ago, when the first training groups traveled to compete in races across the Chapada Diamantina, and it has since solidified into a strategic business unit.
Race growth and the northeastern circuit
Bahia and neighboring states have built their own event calendar featuring sophisticated organization and striking scenic appeal. Among the top regional highlights is the Ultra Trail Chapada Diamantina (UTCD), based in Mucugê, which draws runners from multiple states, alongside technical events like the Serrinha Trail Run and routes traversing Vale do Pati, Vale do Capão, and Chapada Norte across Jacobina and Itaitu.
Beyond Bahia, events such as the Xingu Trail Run, held in the canyon region of Canindé de São Francisco in Sergipe, highlight the geographic diversity available to the discipline. Diogo Andrade emphasizes that local race directors are consistently raising standards in critical areas such as course marking, athlete safety, and trail support, keeping pace with the demands of runners seasoned in national and international ultramarathons.
Sports tourism and communication barriers
Despite the natural beauty and strong tourism draw of Brazil's Northeast, the influx of mountain runners traveling from the Southeast to compete in northeastern races remains lower than the flow traveling in reverse. Diogo observes a gap in long-term communication strategies among local race directors, who often focus promotional efforts solely on the immediate post-race period, missing opportunities to sustain destination visibility year-round.
Another key topic raised by Sidney Togumi involves the technical perception of elevation gain. In the Southeastern market, many runners prioritize massive cumulative elevation changes and rugged, technical routes typical of rocky massifs like Serra Fina. In contrast, northeastern events often feature faster sections, intense heat, and sandy or dune-filled terrains, requiring adjustments in sports marketing and athlete education regarding the diverse technical challenges of trail running.
From road to trail: methodology, safety, and management
Within the consultancy's daily operations, transitioning from road to trail requires technical diligence and ongoing athlete education. At Triação, trail running clients grew from an initial 5% to roughly 15% of the total roster, supported by biweekly specialized workouts requiring travel to training grounds like Morro de São José in Maragojipe, roughly two hours from Salvador.
Diogo Andrade stresses the importance of coaches providing firm pedagogical guidance on race distance selection, discouraging premature sign-ups for long courses before establishing sufficient training volume and neuromuscular adaptation. In his view, modern sports coaching consultancies must operate with clear protocols, multidisciplinary teams, and deep behavioral understanding of athletes, moving far beyond outdated informal models.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary—a milestone documented in the book Triação 20 Anos: Sonhos, Corridas e Negócios by Augusto Cruz—the company reinforces its institutional maturity through an official partnership with Adidas Brasil, illustrating how the sports market in Northeast Brazil attracts global brand recognition through professional management and strong community engagement.