Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The countdown has begun for one of the most important athletic competitions in the Banderas Bay region, the Fourth Annual Acuatlón Deportivo (Sports Aquathlon), which is set to take place on the boardwalk and beaches in downtown Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, July 7, 2019.

Designed to give people of all ages a fun way to stay in shape - and a chance to win great prizes - the Aquathlon Vallarta is a continuous, three-stage race involving running, then swimming, followed by more running, which requires each of the competing athletes to give it their all.

According to Acuatlón Vallarta 2019 coordinator, Cristian Araiza, athletes between the ages of 9 and 60 are invited to participate in several divisions of the men's, women's and children's categories.

The competition will begin at 8:00 am on Sunday, July 7, in front of the Rosita Hotel on the Malecón, with contenders in the Open Category (ages 16 and up) running 2.5 kilometers on the Malecón (1.25 km from the starting line to "El Molino" and 1.25 km back.)

Next, they will go for a 1000 meter swim (500 meters out and 500 meters back) in the waters of Banderas Bay from the beach in front of the Malecón, where lifeguards will be on duty. The final leg of the race is another 2.5K run, retracing the original route. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first 5 places in the Men's and Women's categories.

Shorter courses have been designed for the three Kid's divisions: Infantil (ages 9-11), Children (11-13), and Teenagers (14 & 15). The winners of the first three places in these categories will receive in-kind prizes from event sponsors.

Registration is now open on the Acuatlón Vallarta website, or from 5-9 pm daily at the entrance of the Agustín Flores Contreras Municipal Sports Stadium (ask for Luigi).

The registration fee is $450 Pesos until July 5, which includes an official race kit that contains a commemorative t-shirt, swim cap and participation medal, an electronic chip to record competition time, hydration and fruit at the end of the competition, and medical assistance, if necessary.

These packages will be available for pick-up on Saturday, July 6, from 4:00–9:00 pm at the Innovasport store in La Isla Shopping Village, where last-minute race registration will be available for $550 pesos.

Note: All Acuatlón 2019 participants are required to attend a preliminary meeting that evening at 7:00 pm at Hotel Rosita, so you might want to plan your schedule accordingly.

According to the director of the Municipal Council of Sports (Comude), José Amador Hernández Madrigal, the Acuatlón Deportivo not only contributes to promoting physical fitness, but also sports tourism, with more than 300 national and international athletes expected to participate in this year's competition.

126 competitors from cities such as Monterrey, Morelos, Guanajuato, Tepic, Guadalajara and Mexico City have already registered; and athletes from more than ten clubs, including Vikingos Guadalajara, Alpha Triatlón Guadalajara, Comude Zapopan, Comude Guadalajara, Platinum Tepic, Acuaquit Guadalajara, Nor Bike Toluca, Club del Valle Ciudad de México and APS Team Nuevo León, have confirmed their participation.

Local clubs that will be competing in this year's Acuatlón Deportivo include Marlins Natación, Díaz Natación, Speed4tro, Caimanes Natación, Escuadrón Vallarta, Acuática Montero, CAAM Bahía and Vigotsky.

For more information, (in Spanish) visit the Acuatlón Vallarta website or Facebook page.

Sources: acuatlonvallarta.com • puertovallarta.gob.mx