Ironman Brazil is taking up a step up in its fourth year with a new location, new management, and a $70,000 prize purse. The race will take place May 26 on the Brazilian island of Florianopolis. Race management is led by Nubio de Almeida, a professional race director with ten years experience, and Ken Glah, a 17-time finisher of Ironman Hawaii (finishing in the top 15 a total of 13 times). The new location was chosen for a number of reason including: convenience for Brazilian and foreign travelers, a solid infrastructure of hotels, restaurants and medical facilities, great local and state support, beautiful beaches, clean water and well paved roads.

The $70,000 purse is drawing interest from the pros. Expected to compete are:

Men - Petr Vabrousek (Czech Republic), Scott Molina (USA), Uwe Widmann (Germany), Shane Smith (Australia), Ulrich Fluhme (Germany), Ken Glah (USA), Juan Mutti (Argentina), Peter Kropko (Hungary), Harold Feierabend (Germany)

Women - Andrea Fisher (USA), Katja Mayer (Germany), Barbara Buenahora (Argentina), Belinda Cheney (Australia)

The entry fee is lower then most Ironman races. The current entry fee of $240 will increase to $300 by April 29. Forty-five Ironman Hawaii spots are available, with at least one for every age group with a finisher.

Florianopolis weather is ideal for racing by the end of May, which is late autumn in Brazil. High temperatures in the 70's are expected with minimal.

Other race details:

Swim Course: The swim will be a one loop swim in protected ocean so the water should be calm and clear. The water temperature will be around 71 so it will be a wetsuit swim for the age group athletes but could possibly be a no wetsuit swim for the pros. The pro men and women will start 10 minutes in front of the amateurs.

Bike Course: Riders will twice cover the same 90k course on well paved roads that will be closed to traffic. The majority of the course will be aero bar type riding with 4 hills each lap of 1 to 1.5k interspersed throughout. These hills will be a welcome way to get up and stretch out your legs and can be challenging but are not sever climbs. The cycle course will offer athletes varying visual stimulation as the rider will go through resort areas, past neighborhoods and along the city waterfront with high rise buildings on one side and beautiful ocean views across to the mainland.

Run Course: The run is mostly close to the ocean and goes through beach side neighborhoods on mostly flat roads. There are a few hills throughout and while they are not long (200 to 600 meters) they are somewhat steep. The sun sets early so most people will be finishing in the dark but there are a lot of streetlights and the roads are well paved. Even if it is a warm day it most people should have great temperatures for running.

About Florianopolis: There are many shopping centers, bars, dance clubs and hundreds of restaurants specializing in all types of cuisine. There are over 100 beaches from protected bays to world class surfing. Available activities include windsurfing, hang gliding, sandboarding on dunes mountain biking, and hiking through preserves and along beaches, diving at marine preserves. There are ten different ecosystems in Florianopolis with diverse flora and fauna.

Previous winners
           Male            Female
  2000    Ken Glah     Fernanda Keller
  1999    Ken Glah     Heather Fuhr
  1998    Ken Glah     Heather Fuhr

Visit the race website at www.ironmanbrazil.com.