What has changed in 7 years?

If on September 30th, 2018, someone had told me I would do another 70.3, I’d have thought they were crazy!

The debut of the IRONMAN race in Cascais, in September 2017, was contagious — I watched it and became convinced it would be the perfect challenge to mark my 40th birthday the following year.

During the following months, I tried to balance managing three small children, working far from home, and sticking to a training plan. It was very hard to coordinate schedules with other training groups, I trained mostly on my own, and had to learn and develop new disciplines such as swimming and cycling.

On 29 September 2018 I gave everything — I managed my mind to overcome each stage of the race

The bike course was different from the recent editions: we started by going to Alcântara, and on the way back we climbed from Estoril up to the Autódromo, Pisão, Malveira, and then up to Biscaia, where we turned back to go to Cascais via the Estrada do Guincho. I hated the bike segment — I felt the lack of training, made mistakes with nutrition and hydration, which I paid for during the run.

During this training process, I fell in love with open water swimming and dedicated myself to this discipline in the following years.

Bibiana helped me prepare for my first long-distance races, such as the 10k SwimGP and the Faial-Pico crossing in 2023, and the 20k SwimGP in 2024, which was canceled due to fog.

ut the triathlon chapter wasn’t closed — that atmosphere is contagious and dangerous! I kept taking part in triathlon races as part of relay teams, until I was challenged to do the 70.3 distance again in 2025.

With more maturity and an unmatched availability, I was able to step on that mat with a lightness I hadn’t felt in 7 years. My children, who at the time were 2, 6, and 8 years old, are now at a completely different stage, and having the company and support of various training groups made everything much easier.

My passion continues to be open water swimming, but I have made peace with the bike and the run.

What I discovered in this process, and what will make me want to repeat the experience?

• The experience can be much better if we know how to respect the stages.
• During the months of training, we need to have as much — or even more — enjoyment as we do on race day.
• Motivation comes if we surround ourselves with people who are working towards the same goal.
• Being able to assess our stage in life, and whether the training load is a source of stress. If we can’t manage to balance everything, then it’s simply not the right time for this challenge 😉

Maria Sá