Followers of BMW factory race driver and BMW brand ambassador Alessandro Zanardi may be wondering what Alex is up to these days since the end of last season's Italian GT Series when he won the final race of the season in the BMW M6 GT3. Well, he's going racing again this year. He plans to compete in two endurance races, but while they may not last for 24 hours, they will be just as grueling as any long-distance car race. Zanardi will be doing triathlons.
Alex discovered a passion for triathlons in 2014, but in 2016 he put them on hold while he was driving race cars and training for and winning gold medals in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. On July 2, he will return to long-distance triathlons at the Austria-Kärnten in Klagenfurt, Austria. Then, Zanardi hopes to return to Hawaii for his third race at Kona in the Triathlon World Championship on October 14, 2017.
First up for Zanardi is the Austrian event, which will comprise a 2.4-mile swim, a cycling section that is 112 miles long, followed by the 26.22-mile marathon. The 50-year old Zanardi will compete in the cycling segment using his hand cycle. He will cover the marathon distance in his Olympic wheel chair.
“I am truly looking forward to competing in Klagenfurt, which is one of the most popular events of the scene, and to extend my experience in long distance triathlons,” said Zanardi. “Actually, it is an exciting new start for me as I decided to change my preparations and to properly develop as a long distance athlete. This is a completely different approach to preparing for my paracycling competitions. It is a great new project for me. Not only the training is different, but also the preparation of my vehicles, my handbike and my Olympic wheel chair. So everything is new, and I still feel like a kid in a toy store!”
“When I did my first long distance triathlon back in 2014, I immediately felt that it was something special,” Zanardi continued. “The great passion and excitement I felt back then in Hawaii made it one of the best things I did in my life. I am really looking forward to getting into this special discipline in more depth and can’t wait to start the swimming leg in Klagenfurt—with the clear aim of improving and developing my long distance performance.”
If Alex qualifies for Hawaii, he will be one of 2,000 athletes competing in the Ironman World Championship. It's hard to imagine that any will have worked harder to get there.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
