A mountain race in Piranguçu, sponsored by Bio2, showcased efforts to regenerate the Atlantic Forest in the Mantiqueira region. Company founder Leandro Farkuh turned a deforested farm into a model reforestation project. The event aims to demonstrate sustainable economic alternatives to low-productivity livestock farming.
On Sunday, October 26, 2025, the first mountain race took place in Piranguçu, a mining town of 6,000 residents about 50 kilometers from Campos do Jordão. Sponsored by Bio2, a vegan sports nutrition company founded by Leandro Farkuh, the event drew runners to the Mantiqueira region, known for similar races in neighboring towns like Campos do Jordão, São Bento do Sapucaí, and Itajubá.
Before the pandemic, Farkuh purchased a large low-production dairy farm in Piranguçu, fully deforested for pasture, to allow natural regeneration of the Atlantic Forest. The Floresta Bio2 project receives technical support from SOS Mata Atlântica, which has planted over 100,000 native species seedlings on the site. In just five years, the difference in vegetal cover is remarkable, demonstrating the potential for environmental recovery.
Holding the race in a modest location like Piranguçu was intentional. Farkuh, an environmental activist, aims to embody Bio2's principles: plant-based protein and carbohydrate products without mere greenwashing. The event raises awareness about deforestation in Brazil, promoting rural tourism as an economic alternative to unproductive livestock farming. Farkuh shies away from nascent carbon sequestration markets but notes how vegetal regeneration reduces losses from droughts and extreme events linked to deforestation in biomes like the Amazon.
He is now working to persuade neighbors to regenerate unproductive areas on their properties, creating a green corridor of native forest in the Mantiqueira. The goal is to replicate the model across other Brazilian biomes, challenging the economic and political influence of agribusiness, which still relies on outdated practices like rampant deforestation and banned pesticides in stricter markets. This initiative stands in contrast to superficial marketing races, such as past 'anti-corruption' events, and aligns with serious ones supporting social causes, like the Graacc race.