ITU World Triathlon Series runner-up, Mario Mola (ESP), will make his long distance debut at Challenge Paguera-Mallorca on 17 October. The Majorcan triathlete will round off his hugely successful season, which included a win in last weekend’s grand final in Chicago, on his home turf as he takes on the 1.9-90-21 distance for the first time.
 Mario Mola winning the ITU WTS grand final in Chicago on Sunday(Photo: Delly Carr / ITU; click to enlarge) |
His decision to participate in Challenge Paguera-Mallorca is not by chance, as he has strong ties with the island and especially with Calvià. Trained in the youth squads of the ADA Calvià athletics club, Mola soon excelled as a great athlete. His meteoric rise in triathlon has catapulted his presence on the podiums of world series trials.
In 2014 Mola was awarded Sportsman of the Year in Calvià and he made good use of breaks between competitions to return to Majorca to train and carry out pre-season preparation.
The debut of Mola in middle distance will not prove so easy as alongside him he has some of the best European specialists in this distance. The most outstanding are:
Filip Ospaly: the current European Middle Distance Champion (ETU Championships Rimini 2015).
Giulio Molinari: middle distance European champion (ETU Championships Mallorca 2014) and defending champion.
Marcel Zamora: five times winner of Ironman Nice and five times winner of Embrunman.
Showcasing Calvià, Paguera, Mallorca as an ideal training and competition centre in Europe, Challenge Paguera-Mallorca will offer European triathletes the best possible closure to the season.
Its spectacular setting combines the landscape of the Tramuntana Mountain range with the inland villages of Majorca and the most touristic coastal areas of the island. The varied and attractive course is a mix of testing and fast stretches which combine with the special characteristic terrain of the surroundings
As with all Challenge Family events, there is a full festival programme around the flagship event including Junior Challenge and Challenge Women, plus there is a host of activities for visitors to enjoy, including culture, gastronomy, sport and music.
For further information and entries, visit www.challenge-mallorca.com.
