Athletes are beginning to arrive at the race venue, the race office is bustling, and Portosole is coming alive: the Geoplin Challenge Sanremo 2026 is officially underway! Today marked the prelude to the race weekend (October 3-4) for this international triathlon, now in its fifth edition and part of the Municipality of Sanremo’s event calendar, which will feature 800 athletes from 31 nations.
In addition to the Race Office, open all day and already welcoming seasoned triathletes, newcomers, young athletes, and their families and support teams, the day featured two highly engaging events.
At 12:00 PM, former pro cyclist Niccolò Bonifazio led triathletes and enthusiasts on a ride along the “Milano-Sanremo” route, exploring the Cipressa and Poggio climbs.
Later, at 5:30 PM, a roundtable discussion on the “Student-Athlete Dual Career” took place on the stage set up at Portosole. Introduced by Race Director Daniele Moraglia and moderated by sports manager Francesca Salvia, the session featured contributions from Olympic fencer Davide Di Veroli, elite pole vaulter Siria Felicioni, Olympic fencer Andrea Santarelli, elite jiu-jitsu athlete Mattia Salvi, and Yasmin Adel Refaat, founder of Z2 Sport for Development. Also participating in the round table were Alessandro Sindoni, Councilor for Sport and Tourism for the Municipality of Sanremo, Isidoro Di Mella, CEO of Geoplin Italia, and Giovanna Mascolo, Marketing Manager at Portosole.
The program for Saturday, October 3, features the Youth Races (100 athletes competing, with the first starts at 10:45 AM) and the Swim-Run event (60 registered athletes, starting at 4:30 PM), while Sunday, October 4, will see the Middle Distance Triathlon – the main event with 390 athletes competing – and the Sprint Distance Triathlon (with 250 triathletes participating). These figures reflect a major international event that brings together athletes from diverse cultures and generations, further demonstrating the strong international character of the event, the Liguria region, and the Riviera dei Fiori.
