Sports
Yago Alves Talks Pro Triathlon Career, Training, and Goals
Top Brazilian at the Nice World Championship and 4th at 70.3 São Paulo, the athlete reflects on his journey and transition to middle distance.
In an interview on the Stemma Podcast, pro triathlete Yago Alves looks back on pivotal moments from his 20-year career. The Brazilian athlete discusses everything from his early beginnings to altitude training camps and his future in endurance racing.
With two decades dedicated to the sport, professional triathlete Yago Alves has built a solid career that combines short-course Olympic-distance experience with recent growth in middle-distance racing. In a conversation on the Stemma Podcast, the athlete gave a comprehensive breakdown of his season, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from key races, training routines, travel mishaps, and the financial reality of elite sports in Brazil. Here is an overview of the main topics discussed.
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IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice and Altitude Training Camp
Yago detailed his four-week altitude training camp in Colombia before flying to France, where he finished as the top Brazilian at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, placing 38th overall in 4:11:48. The athlete analyzed his race execution, highlighting his strong bike climb and a stellar 1:12 half marathon run, while offering a candid assessment of the time lost during the swim.
IRONMAN 70.3 São Paulo and the Lost Bike Mishap
Just one week after racing in France, Yago lined up for IRONMAN 70.3 São Paulo amid a massive logistical hurdle: the airline lost his bike. Competing on a setup quickly assembled with borrowed parts from friends at Clube Pinheiros, he kept a strong pace on the USP course, managed accumulated travel fatigue, and secured 4th place overall in the professional field.
Race Scheduling and Balancing Different Distances
Balancing high training volume with a demanding race schedule is one of Yago's biggest challenges, as he regularly switches between sprint, Olympic, and middle distances. The athlete explained how frequent travel and racing across different formats impact physical conditioning, emphasizing the need to maintain high-intensity sessions even when focusing primarily on longer events.
Triathlon Beginnings, Portugal Project, and Journalism Degree
Reflecting on his start at age seven in Balneário Camboriú, Yago shared memories from his developmental years, the crucial support of his parents, and the defining experience of living in Rio Maior, Portugal, for eight months as part of an Olympic development project. The triathlete also discussed earning his degree in journalism and the importance of creating professional avenues alongside athletics.
Financial Challenges and Going Pro in Triathlon
The transition to full-time professionalism accelerated in 2022 after joining Esporte Clube Pinheiros, entering the Brazilian Army's high-performance athlete program as a sergeant, and receiving government grant funding. Yago spoke openly about the steep costs of an international race calendar and the economic realities faced by elite triathletes in Brazil.
Focusing on Middle Distance and Future Goals
Looking ahead, the athlete reaffirmed his commitment to 70.3 and non-drafting middle-distance formats. Yago assessed the technical areas he aims to refine in each discipline, setting a medium-to-long-term goal of becoming a consistent contender across the Ironman Pro Series and the T100 tour.
Race Nutrition Strategy and In-Race Fueling
On the physiological and nutritional front, Yago outlined the fueling plan developed with his sports dietitian for middle-distance events. The triathlete targets between 120 g and 130 g of carbohydrates per hour on the bike alongside 1,000 mg to 1,200 mg of electrolytes, explaining how he manages his energy intake through the final miles of the run.
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