Sports
Viça Saraiva Previews 70.3 Curitiba and Reflects on Career
At 48, the veteran pro triathlete channels personal loss into mental fortitude and outlines a packed racing season.
Ahead of Ironman 70.3 Curitiba, veteran triathlete Viça Saraiva discusses his physical form and mental resilience following the loss of his mother. The Brazilian pro breaks down the challenging bike course and details a race schedule spanning over ten events.
A veteran of Brazilian triathlon and one of the most experienced athletes on the start line of Ironman 70.3 Curitiba, Viça Saraiva arrives for the opening of the national circuit with peak physical fitness and deep emotional resilience. At 48 years old and spanning 35 seasons in the sport, the professional triathlete arrived in the capital of Paraná with high chronic training load (CTL) metrics, while carrying the weight of difficult personal months.
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Grief, maturity, and mental fortitude
Over the 90 days leading up to the race, Viça dealt with the hospitalization and recent passing of his mother about a month before the event. The athlete noted that the pain of loss and the grieving process were handled with maturity and channeled into inner resilience for both training and competition.
His training routine also served as an outlet. After competing in ten half-Ironman races the previous year, the original plan called for two weeks of total rest. However, the need to keep his mind active turned triathlon into a sanctuary to ease the emotional burden, while maintaining his professional commitments to sponsors and supporters.
A challenging bike course at Ironman 70.3 Curitiba
Looking ahead to the race in Curitiba, Viça Saraiva called the bike course the toughest on the Brazilian circuit under normal weather conditions, highlighting the cumulative elevation gain and constant rolling hills. For the veteran, starting the season with a demanding race elevates the competitive standard across the field.
His strategy for handling the course's difficulty includes embracing discomfort and staying mentally present through the pain, drawing positive energy from the regional landscape—a mindset he often relies on along iconic stretches such as the descent from Hawi in Kona or remote segments in international events.
Packed schedule and career transition
Although he is considering shifting his focus exclusively to sports coaching and personalized individual training next season, Viça is maintaining a full race calendar this year. His schedule includes two full-distance events—Ironman Florianópolis and Ironman Florida in November—along with stops on the national 70.3 circuit, Olympic-distance races, and T100 events.
Ahead of International Women's Day, which coincides with the event in Curitiba, the athlete dedicated his race to the memory of his mother and paid tribute to his wife, a former professional surfer, expressing deep admiration for the strength and progress of women in long-distance triathlon worldwide.
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