Águas do Cerrado Challenge

In 1883, the Italian priest John Bosco recorded a dream of a civilization rising between the 15th and 20th parallels, centered on a massive lake of untold potential. Over seventy years later, engineers fulfilled this prophecy by damming the Paranoá River to create the 48-square-kilometer basin that now hosts the Águas do Cerrado Challenge. Today, swimmers entering the water at Clube Almirante Alexandrino follow a course that reflects the strange, artificial origins of this landscape, tracing lines over a history that was physically erased by the rising tide.

Beneath the surface

As you navigate the 4,000-meter course, you are swimming directly over the submerged remains of Vila Amaury. This settlement, once home to the workers who built the capital, disappeared under the filling reservoir in 1959. While the depths reach 38 meters in some areas, the ruins remain a haunting reference point for those navigating the lake's expanse. The water here was designed to modulate the humidity of the arid central plateau, creating a consistent environment that allows for this annual gathering each September.

Conditions remain stable, though the scale of the lake requires careful sighting toward the modernist silhouette of the Palácio da Alvorada, which dominates the shoreline. The environment is shared with local wildlife, including capybaras along the banks and the occasional jacaretinga, though these animals typically keep their distance from the course. Swimmers looking to maintain their pace throughout the late season often combine this event with the Copa Brasil de Águas Abertas, held just weeks earlier in the same basin. Whether you are competing in the 100-meter sprint or the full 4-kilometer endurance swim, the experience remains a direct encounter with the intentional geography of the Brazilian capital.