Challenge Venice Triathlon 2017

The first edition of Challenge Venice has been officially unveiled at the Palazzo Ca’ Farsetti in the city’s San Marco district. A total of 800 athletes from 49 nations spanning all the world’s continents will be competing in the full-distance triathlon which comprises a 3.8-kilometre swim, a 180-kilometre cycle and a 42-kilometre marathon.

At the launch to give the event their blessing were the Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro, race director Matteo Gerevini and leading Italian triathlon athletes Massimo Cigana and Martina Dogana, who will be donning bibs numbers 1 and 2 for the competition. Since it was first announced, Challenge Venice has been a huge hit with athletes across the world who had been waiting for an opportunity to combine a visit to Italy with the chance of some high level competition. The result is that it instantly joined the ranks of the elite group of triathlons that all triathletes the world over dream of one day competing in. In fact, over half of the starting field is made up of foreign competitors – a further testament to the spell cast by Venice both at home and abroad.

Much more than just a triathlon

Challenge Venice combines an exceptionally high standard of organisation with signature Italian excellence in everything from its gorgeous backdrop to artistic heritage, superb food and wine, and the kind of artisanal mastery that only this nation can achieve. It also marries both of the latter with the values at the very core of the sport of triathlon, which is burgeoning in popularity due to the positive physical and psychological impact it has on athletes and the fact that it is very much an eco-friendly outdoor pursuit. Another factor is the spectacular nature of the competition. In fact, a focus on providing spectators and the public in general with a positive experience was a central focus for the project as a whole. For more information on Challenge Venice 2017, visit http://www.challengevenice.com/en/.