Challenge and PTO combine for $60,000 event in Florianopolis in November

Challenge Brasil, Challenge Family and the Professional Triathletes Organisation have joined forces to offer up a $60,000 prize purse at Challenge Florianopolis on November 29, 2020.

The festival weekend with “entertainment, sport and leisure options” at Jurerê Internacional beach will run from November 26 to 29, culminating with the “main event” middle-distance race for both age groupers and pros.

The top six pros and athletes in each age group will qualify for The Championship which will take place at the x-bionic sphere in Samorin, Slovakia in May, 2021.

“In this year with so many adversities, the union between PTO, Challenge Family, Challenge Brasil and the athletes (NOSSO TRIATHLON) came to create this opportunity to hold an event that seeks to rescue the value of professional athletes in competitions,” says Brazilian star Reinaldo Colucci. “The first step of commitment between the parts has already been taken, now it is time for everyone to work for  Challenge Florianopolis 2020 to be a success and so to leave this positive image of such a difficult year behind”.

“The Covid-19 Pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on the triathlon industry and the PTO was hugely concerned to learn of professional prize purses being dropped from established races in Brazil,” noted Sam Renouf, CEO of Professional Triathletes Organisation. “Professional Athletes are self-employed and without the opportunity to earn through racing, have rapidly become unemployed. The PTO was formed by athletes for athletes seeking to ‘Celebrate the Sport of Triathlon’ and we are encouraged to support the local athlete initiative ‘Nosso Triathlon’ in its efforts to grow the sport in Brazil.”