The Ironman Regional Championship series will continue with this weekend’s 2016 Ironman South American Championship Brazil triathlon in the host city of Florianopolis and will feature a diverse group of competitors from around the world.
Headlining the women’s race is returning champion Ariane Monticeli (BRA). Monticeli will race alongside two-time Ironman champion Liz Lyles (USA), who placed second at last year’s race and will prove to be stiff competition once again. Also seeking to add a championship title to their resume is 2013 Ironman Lanzarote winner Kristin Moeller (DEU), 2015 Ironman France winner Cait Snow (USA), and 2009 Ironman 70.3 South Africa and Ironman South Africa winner Lucie Zelenkova (CZE).
On the men’s side, an equally competitive group will seek to win this year’s title with Brent McMahon (CAN) leading the pack. McMahon placed third at last year's Ironman South American Championship Brazil and will look to push the pace against ten-time Ironman 70.3 champion Tim Don (GBR), six-time Ironman champion Chris McDonald (USA) and 2014 Ironman Brazil winner Igor Amorelli (BRA). Adding to the competition is ten-time Ironman champion Ronnie Schildknecht (CHE) who holds an impressive eight wins at Ironman Switzerland. Also in the mix of the incredibly talented field of men is Will Clarke (GBR), Paul Matthews (AUS), and Kevin Colington (USA).
“This year’s pro field is exceptionally talented and will provide for a very exciting 2016 Ironman South American Championship Brazil,” said Christopher Stadler, Chief Marketing Officer for Ironman. “We are eager to see some of the region’s top triathletes compete against Ironman champions from around the world.”
An automatic bid to the 2016 Ironman World Championship will be on the line as the male and female professional winners of each 2016 Ironman Regional Championship race receive automatic qualification to the 2016 Ironman World Championship, taking place in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, on October 8. The Ironman South American Championship Brazil race will also offer a $150,000 prize purse to male and female professionals which will be distributed amongst the first through tenth place finishers.
In addition to the competitive professional field, over 2,100 registered age-group athletes are expected to compete at this year’s Ironman South American Championship Brazil. The race will offer 75 coveted age-group qualifying slots to the 2016 Ironman World Championship.
