Race day at 70.3 Curitiba: timeline, classic mistakes, and plan B

The days before

Friday/Saturday. Packet pickup at the Village in Parque Barigüi, after booking your slot, paying the triathlon federation fee, and signing the medical waiver online. In the 2026 schedule, red bag check-in at T2 was Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; verify the 2027 times in the athlete guide, along with the bike check-in procedure at T1 at Passaúna. Remember the two-venue setup: T1 at Parque Passaúna, T2 and the finish at Barigüi. Saturday is the day to get everything sorted, because Sunday leaves no room to fix anything.

Saturday night. Bags packed with a written checklist, breakfast prepped, a warm layer for the pre-dawn (lows around 16 °C / 61 °F), alarm set before 3:30 a.m.

Race morning

Timeline based on the 2026 edition, to be confirmed for 2027:

• 4:15 — athlete-only transport departs from Barigüi to the start.
• 4:45-6:10 — T1 access at Passaúna: tire inflation, bottles, final check.
• 6:30 — swim start in the Passaúna reservoir.

Two notes. First: take an early shuttle, not the last one; once T1 closes, nobody gets in. Second: the lake water is reported as cold and the race is likely/permitted wetsuit, but no official average temperature is published: the final call comes with the pre-race announcement. Do a thorough warm-up and, if you run cold, protect your extremities.

The race, step by step

Swim (1.9 km): single lap in water described as calm. A leg to manage, not to force.

Bike (90.1 km): the key leg. 1,119 m of official elevation gain, climbs in the first half with 7-8% pitches; 2026 reports measure up to ~1,400 m, sources diverge. Keep margin in the first 45 km, drink at fixed intervals (the air at ~900 m is drier: you dehydrate without noticing), and remember you're racing between 870 and 980 m: don't chase your sea-level watts.

Run (21.1 km): flat loop course in Parque Barigüi with multiple passes in front of the crowd. 2026 reports note heavy sun during the half: first lap under control, water over your head at aid stations, steady pace to the line.

The classic mistakes

1. Chasing a flat-course half PB. Analyses of the 2026 results point to an average finish time close to 6 hours, high for a 70.3. Recalibrate your goal by 20-30 minutes. Rough, unofficial estimates: from ~4:40 for top age-groupers to ~7:00 for a comfortable finisher. 2. Hammering the climbs in the first half of the bike. It's the mistake you pay for on the second run lap. 3. Underestimating the two-venue logistics. Wrong bag, missed shuttle, closed T1: these are the non-athletic errors that end your day before it starts. 4. Drinking to thirst. In dry air at altitude, thirst comes late. Fixed intervals on the bike. 5. Dressing for the pre-dawn cold and forgetting the 11 a.m. heat. 16-29 °C swing: a throwaway layer in the morning, a heat strategy for the run.

Plan B

• Wetsuit banned or optional? The announcement comes last minute: train in your wetsuit but do at least one session without it, so no announcement throws you off.
• Bad day on the bike? If at km 45 you're over your watts or time budget, downgrade your goal immediately: the flat half gives back plenty to those who arrive with legs, nothing to those who arrive empty.
• Mechanical issue? On a single hilly loop, self-sufficiency matters: tube/sealant and CO2, tested beforehand.
• Hotter than expected? Slow down 10-15 seconds per km from the first lap and use every aid station. Finishing well beats blowing up at km 15 in front of the Village.