Martinique, an island in the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, is preparing to host the second edition of MadinTri on April 6, 2025.
Martinique is an overseas region of France. The event name, MadinTri, is rooted in the Kalinago language (Martinique / Madinina) used by the indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.
With its large white sandy beaches, welcoming many tourists each year, in 2025, MadinTri is seeking to entice triathlon tourists by offering up a triathlon experience in Caribbean. The ambition of MadinTri is to become one of the flagship triathlon races in the region, with a race experience based around a scenic backgrop.
For 2025, the event organising team wants to expand, and is therefore offering a middle distance race format (1.9 km swimming, 90 km cycling, 18 km running), which is being added to the Olympic distance, super sprint distance and an aquathlon for children.
“We had a fantastic first edition in 2024 with great feedback; and for the second edition we are planning a new longer distance, with new date of the race to early April to appeal to European and North American athletes,” said Race Director Olaf Kasten.
“Martinique island is a perfect place to combine holidays with training and competition, with sun, heat and breathtaking landscapes. The setting is necessarily idyllic here to train all year round. We talk a lot about the beauty of the island in relation to triathlon, but we must not forget that we can train here all year round, swimming in the Caribbean Sea or at the swimming pool in Le Lamentin town which includes 25m and 50m pool options.
“For cycling, there is a choice. This volcanic island offers diversity because the road can be flat or hilly but always includes very good surfaces. We can even go around the island, which is around 180-200km by bike. Finally, for running, we can go near the airport to enjoy beautiful views, but also in the cane fields for the island’s wilder side.”
Olaf Kasten continued, “Regarding triathlon training in the surrounding area, there were a few small triathlons on the islands locally, in Guadeloupe or in Saint Martin, but not any big ‘reference’ race, capable of attracting big names in triathlon as well as triathletes from mainland France.
“We created MadinTri for this and to revive the passion for triathlon in Martinique, in partnership with the [local] triathlon league. We want to professionalize ourselves with the ambition of offering high-quality services at a lower cost.
“We decided to move the event date from June to April to avoid any competition with the European races at this time, and also to introduce a new longer distance, because amateurs and professionals travel more for the longer triathlon distances and this therefore fits with our idea of offering a complete experience to athletes.
“In addition, at this time in April, the climate is perfect because there are no cyclones; it is not too hot and the humidity remains quite low.”
With a number of transport options, Martinique is served by direct flights from Paris (Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports) and Brussels in Europe, as well as Miami, Montreal and other cities in North America.
