By Chesney Hearst, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – An estimated three thousand swimmers, joggers, stand up paddlers, triathletes and their supporters were in attendance as the first stage of the 2013 Circuito Rei e Rainha do Mar (King and Queen of the Sea) took over the beaches of Leblon, Ipanema and Arpoador on Sunday, March 3rd.
Now in its fifth year, the beach sports festival is held in three stages on various beaches throughout the city. Each stage this year consists of five events; Beach Run, Sprint, Beach Biathlon, Challenge and Stand Up Paddle races.
The Beach Run, one of the newest event additions, kicked off the first stage on Sunday at 7AM. Runners raced for 5 km in the sand from Arpoador to Jardim de Alah in Ipanema.
At 8AM swimmers took to the ocean to participate in the Sprint. A shorter 1 km Race, it began in Ipanema and ended on the shores of Arpoador.
The 4km Beach Biathlon race also began at 8AM in Canto do Leblon with a 1.5 km swim then a 2.5 km run along the sands of Ipanema beach to the finish line in Arpoador.
The next event, The Challenge, began at 9:40 AM. Competitors swam a challenging 3.5 km from Canto do Leblon to the shores of Arpoador.
The Stand Up Paddle races were held in the afternoon and included a 2 km Fun Race, the 7 km Mid Race and 1 km Top Race.
The second and third stages of Circuito Rei e Rainha do Mar will be held in Copacabana on May 5th and Copacabana and Leme December 14th and 15th. See their website here for details and registration for the future events.
Read more (in Portuguese).
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