We interviewed Paolo Passos, director of the Lisboa Triathlon. With the view already set in the eleventh edition

"Organizing a triathlon is a full-time job and it can take you a whole year if you want to do it well"

The next 7 of May will take place in our neighboring country the eleventh edition of the LISBOA TRIATHLON. A triathlon that has an Olympic and Half distance, and which is presented today a consolidated test and an international reference for the quality of the circuits and services to the triathlete.

From Triathlon News we wanted to know better the Race Director and creator of this exciting event that has already gathered hundreds of triathletes from different countries, in an interview where he talks about the project, how the idea arises and what it means to organize a test of these characteristics.

Knowing Paolo Passos.

Triathlete and organizer When and how do you start in the world of triathlon?

I started triathlon in the United States in the year 95, being in 2004 my most remarkable result at the international level when I participated in the World Championship in Madeira (Portugal), finishing 15th in my age group. 

How and when did the idea of ​​doing a MIDDLE DISTANCE TRIATHLON in Lisbon come up?

Well it appears in the World Championship in Madeira. Ironman was already very strong and we did not have any long-distance international projection on the peninsula. I found it a perfect place to compete because Portugal and Spain have unique weather conditions in Europe. 

 

 

Is it difficult to organize a triathlon? 

At the organizational level, it's a full-time job and it can take you a whole year if you want to do it right. I am surprised that today there are so many people wanting to organize tests, it is important to have a sense of what it entails ...

Economically Portugal is very bad financially, the truth is that every year we have less support and each year that passes is more expensive. Besides, when you organize a test like the Lisbon Triathlon, in a capital that has many events and insured promotion, the aid is very limited and the conditions are the same as those given outside for a town that does need promotion.

Tell us how has been the evolution since its inception (number of registered and if there has been any change and / or improvement in the journey).

Well, the first year we had an idea of ​​at least 500 athletes, it was 178. A disaster in our forecast! The second year, we reached 350, the third 650 and in 2015, 1350 triathletes bet on this event and more than 500 children!

From our point of view, you always have to be attentive, analyzing and looking for something to improve to reach perfection. If you don't think like that, something is not right… .. We know perfectly what triathletes want (apart from the Ironman brand, of course) and we work to give it.

What recognized triathletes have been competing in Lisbon? 

Well, a lot, literally the best in the world, world champions, European champions ... The Lisbon Triathlon is a test that everyone wants to do. It is at the beginning of the season, it has an impressive climate, it is a practically flat route, it is less than 3km from the airport, swimming is a "giant pool", there are many hotels, it is a capital .... tourism ... holidays ... everything is in perfect synchrony for the athletes, this is not normal nor very easy to find in a capital.

Some curious anecdote ...

A lot!

Once Luc Van Lierde called me on my mobile, who had the best time in the world in the Ironman distance and said “Hi Paulo, you probably don't know me, I'm a professional Belgian triathlete, my name is…. and I would very much like to participate in Lisbon. I'm calling you to ask if a hotel invitation for your Triathlon is possible. ”Sure! I laughed when he told me that he did know him, Luc Van Lierde! he called me on my mobile ... everyone knows that Luc Van Lierde was champion in Hawaii in 1996 and 1999

A week later a teammate called me, Marino Vanhoenacker (he also had the best time in the Ironman distance) with the same “story”, I couldn't believe it! In the end Luc did not come due to injury and Marino finished in 7th place. A very nice boy won, his name was Paul Amey, Tri-World Champion.

 

 

Any news for the 2016? Why HALF LISBOA TRIATHLON? What makes you different: environment, services in competition or post-race, final party ...? 

A lot of news! Well I do not want to comment everything but there will be a new walking tour. The terrain was already very bad and we had to make this change. Next year will be better and will also have more audience! We also throw an opening party on Thursday, plus the trophies will be delivered at the end of the race (when the first three of each group arrive we will make the podium). So who wants party, party, who wants his trophy and go home or hotel, you can do it too.

We are going to have a rock band in goal, we are going to have a "race lounge" with catering for people who have friends or family and prefer a reserved area. There will be changes in the chip system that worked very bad the other year, comes the company of a friend of mine from Spain: TOP TIME. With that we will also have a free App to watch the partial and final times live. And many more things ...

I do not want to end without saying that triathlon for us is more than a test, it is a very long project. We have a project for children that we are launching throughout the year, free of charge. Our goal is to reach 2.500 children every year. We have a project that is going to start soon to bring triathlon to gyms. Triathlon for us is a healthy lifestyle for the whole family.

We received several proposals to make the Lisbon test part of "world famous circuits and more famous" but that would make the price more expensive and it would not be affordable, for us to charge 100 € more for "a brand" does not make sense. Many people who participate in circuits always tell us "your test is much better than ..." That's enough for us.

Thanks for reading and it will be a pleasure to share this 2016 Lisbon Triathlon!

Further information:

Website: http://www.lisboatriathlon.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lisboa-Triathlon-1044606732223294/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisboatriathlon