I am thinking about making long trip for Challenge Florianopolis. Excuse for a vacation someplace my wife and I would not otherwise go takes priority over the race itself. Anyone have any review or tips on the race and Florianopolis as a spot for a trip? Any tips on where to stay - I saw online a hotel about 5k away from race start that looked nice - easy to get an uber or something in morning to get to the start?
Florianopolis is a nice place to visit. The race takes place on Jurere internacional, which is the fanciest neighborhood in the city, lots of mansions there. It’s exactly the same place where Ironman Brazil is located, you should find more information about it if you try looking for tips for Ironman Brazil.
I would stay very close to the start of the race, there are many airbnbs nearby and the place has a really nice vibe the days before. There are many venus to eat, visit or go to the beach if you stay there. In this case you can just walk to the start of the race without any problem.
Florianopolis is an island and somethings are just acessible by car. You could you use a Uber or rent a car (renting a car is the best option). In
There are lots of small beaches in Florianopolis and near Florianopolis that are worth a visit, like Bombinhas or Mariscal, which are smaller cities but with many beatiful natural atractions.
It’s a fast race, usually the swim is a little current assisted.
The bike is fast with 2 loops in the 70.3 distance. The problem is that in the second loop usually the people that are racing the sprint distance mix up with the 70.3 racers and packs form.
The run is flat, and there are a lot of people cheering along the way.
The problem with this race is that the weather sometimes doesnt help. Two years ago when I raced it, it rained a lot, there were a lot of floods in the city and most of the Santa Catarina state was in chaos. They didnt canceled the race because many people were already in the city and the weather was ok in the day.
Usually the race is a little hot with high humity, so thats something you should be prepared.