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Going
Long
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The 2010 Norseman
Xtreme Triathlon
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Triathlon Magazine Canada July & August 2012
photo Kristine Nyborg
Despite the hype we’re going to experience this August around the Olympics,
long-distance triathlon has never been
as popular it is now – this year Canada
welcomes two new Ironman events to
the schedule, which filled up in no time.
Ironman isn’t the only option for
long-distance racing, though. In this
long-distance special, we explore some
other long-distance races that might
be worth looking at if you’re interested
in a destination event.
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Running around Lake
Wanaka during the 2011
Challenge Wanaka in
New Zealand
below Julie Dibens
racing Rev3 Quassy 2010
in Middlebury, Conn.
the pro racing was (a tight men’s race was
won by Matty Reed), the 550 total finishers
marked a positive start for Rev3.
The race expanded to three events in 2010
and added a full-distance race, this time at
Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky,
Ohio. With many events taking place at
amusement parks, the races provide lots of
entertainment for the entire family.
In 2012 the series has expanded to include
10 events. Most include Olympic and halfdistance races, while the Cedar Point event
continues to offer both a full and a half distance.
f a m i ly f r i e n d ly
r acing
photos Getty Images, Dan Hicok
Revolution3 Triathlon Series
C
harlie Patten got the idea for the
Revolution3 (Rev3) Series while waiting
in line to register for Ironman Lake Placid.
As he watched athletes spend over $500 on
their entry and book a hotel room a year in
advance, he realized there was a market for
more races. Billing itself as a family-friendly
series, Rev3 also managed to put together
some impressive prize money, which
attracted some strong pro fields.
The first Rev3 race, in 2009, took place
at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury,
Connecticut and included four world champion women. The close race was won by
Mirinda Carfrae, which provided some
immediate media attention. As exciting as
March 17: Costa Rica
May 6 : Knoxville, Tennessee
June 2: Quassy, Middlebury, Connecticut
July 8: Portland, Oregon
August 12: The Dells, Wisconsin
August 26: Old Orchard Beach, Maine
September 9: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
October 7: Columbia, Maryland
October 14: Anderson, South Carolina
October 28: Venice, Florida
July & August 2012 triathlonmagazine.ca
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roth
and
more
above The 2011 Challenge
Kraichgau in Germany
above right Stephen Bayliss
of Britain in action during the
2011 Challenge Henley-onThames in England
below Andreas Raelert of
Germany celebrates after
winning the 2011 Challenge
Kraichgau in Germany
opposite The swim portion
of the 2010 Triathlon Alpe
d’Huez in France
opposite bottom The 2010
Triathlon Alpe d’Huez in
France
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F
rom their home base in Roth, Germany, the
Challenge Family Series of half- and full-distance
races has the slogan of “We are Triathlon.” Thanks to
this philosophy and their two biggest races, that might
be the case over in Germany.
Challenge Kraichgau, set in the Tuscany of Germany,
is Europe’s largest half iron distance event with over
3,800 participants (including relay teams, Olympic
distance and Junior Challenge) and will host the 2012
European Half-Iron Distance Championships.
Then, of course, there is Challenge Roth, the largest
Iron distance race in the world with 5,000 participants
(3,200 individuals and 600 relay teams), which should
be a “bucket list” race for any triathlete because it
provides a race experience like no other. The 150,000
spectators lining the course, the infamous Solarer Berg
climb, the copious amounts of beer at the pre- and postrace dinner, the finish-line fireworks extravaganza and
the family-friendly atmosphere are just a few of the
reasons worth making the trip. Additionally, Roth will
host the 2012 European Long-Distance Championships.
Triathletes also head to Roth to set personal bests
and to see the stars in the sport set new records. But
Triathlon Magazine Canada July & August 2012
don’t be fooled into thinking that the course is pancake
f lat. The bike has its share of climbs (which you get
to do twice), but the canal swim and mostly flat run
course certainly aid in faster racing. Plus, no matter
what your start time, everyone has until 10:30 pm (not
midnight) to cross the finish line. In 2011, both Great
Britain’s Chrissie Wellington (8:18:13) and Germany’s
Andreas Raelert (7:41:33) set new world bests at the
full distance at Roth.
The organizers of the Challenge Family Series have
spread their way of doing things over the last few years.
Now included in the series are New Zealand, with
the popular Challenge Wanaka, the Canary Islands
with Challenge Fuerteventura, Spain with Challenge
Barcelona-Maresme, Denmark with Challenge Aarhus
and Challenge Copenhagen, France with Challenge
Vichy Full, Austria with Challenge WalchseeKaiserwinkl Half and the UK with Challenge
Henley-on-Thames. Look for a return to Australia
soon now that Ironman has taken over control of the
successful Challenge Cairns.
“We offer a good price ratio, we focus on quality,
attention to detail and that every athlete gets treated like
family,” says Felix Walchshöfer ceo of the Challenge
Series. “All of our race directors are athletes themselves
so we know and understand what the athletes want.”
Those waiting for a Challenge Series race in North
America will have to be patient.
“We are working on it. We have one shot at it in
North America (due to Ironman’s strength in the market). We would rather wait a bit longer to make sure we
have everything right and that we have enough promotion, advertising and marketing,” says Walchshöfer.
“Having the right people, the right pro athletes as our
ambassadors is the only way we will start.”
If you are thinking of signing up for Challenge Roth,
keep in mind that last year relay entries sold out in 26
minutes, and individual entries sold out in one day.
Find out more about the Challenge Family Series at
challenge-family.com–RH
photos clockwise from top left Kerstin Winterkamp, Getty Images, Getty Images
The Challenge Family Series of Races
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something
different
T
raining for a long-distance triathlon requires a lot of commitment, which
is why taking part in an established series event provides a certain level of
comfort – you’re relatively sure that the event you’ve spent months preparing
for is going to be well-run, safe and, most importantly, fun.
But what if you’re looking for something a little different to the mainstream races? For a race that won’t put you in the water with a few thousand
people at the same time? Here are a few races that offer an interesting change:
independent long-distance events
Alpe d’Huez
photos Laurent Salino
July 22 to 26, 2012
Alpe d’Huez, France
Duathlon: 5 km/15 km/2.5 km; Short-distance: 1.2 km/30 km/7 km;
Long-distance: 2.2 km/115 km/22 km
alpetriathlon.com
The day begins with a swim at Lac du Vernay, a beautiful lake at an
altitude of 700 m that’s only open to swimmers during the triathlon.
Athletes in the short course event then ride up Alpe d’Huez with
its famous 21 switchbacks to the second transition, where they run
around the top of the ski resort. The long-course athletes add two
more classic climbs, the Alpe du Grande Serre (1,375 m) and the Col
d’Ornon (1,371 m) before they hit the famous Alpe d’Huez climb and
finish their day with three 7.3 km loops up at the top of the mountain
(2,000 m). The scenery is nothing short of spectacular, the course
both epic and filled with history. You’ve got to love any race that
recommends a triple crankset to “non-mountain habitués.” Last year
just under 800 athletes competed in the long-course event.
July & August 2012 triathlonmagazine.ca
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left The 2010 Norseman
Xtreme Triathlon
Norseman Xtreme Triathlon
August 4 and 5, 2012
Eidfjord, Norway (start)
Full distance
nxtri.com
Started in 2003 with just 21 athletes, the idea behind
the Norseman Xtreme, according to originators Paal
Harek Stranheim and Bent Olav Olsen, was to “create
a completely different race, make it a journey through
the most beautiful nature of Norway, let the experience be more important than the finish time, and let
the participants share their experience with family
and friends as their own support.” Oh, and in case that
isn’t enough, they felt they should “let the race end at
the top of a mountain, that way it will be the hardest
full-distance on earth.”
The point-to-point course begins with a 3.8 km
swim that starts in the loading bay of a car ferry and
goes through Hardangerfjord fjord to a small town
called Eidfjord. From there the maximum of 240
entrants jump on their bikes for 180 km through
the mountains. The first 40 km climbs to 1,200 m
above sea level. T2 takes place in Ausbygda, where the
competitors start with 25 km of relatively f lat running, followed by a climb up to 1,880 m at the top of
Gaustatoppen. If you make the cut-off time to get to
the top of the mountain, you get a black Norseman
T-shirt. If you don’t make the time and are sent along
the f latter route, you get a white T-shirt.
“Norseman is like going back to the roots of triathlon,” Tim DeBoom said after winning the race. “The
fact that events like Norseman still exists gives me
hope for the sport.”
Esprit Triathlon
above The 2011 Esprit
Triathlon in Montreal
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Held on beautiful Ile Notre-Dame, the man-made island in the St. Lawrence River created for Montreal’s Expo
’67, the day begins with a swim in the Olympic rowing basin, is followed by a screaming-fast bike around the
Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and ends with a run on a gravel trail around the basin. It’s a course that you’ll love if
you’re having a good day – the full-distance Esprit includes 41 laps of the race track and the run course is nine laps
around the basin. If you’re hitting your times, you’ll be in heaven. If you’re not, you’ll still enjoy more support
than virtually any other long-distance race in the world since you’ll be going by your friends and family so many
times. Last year there were just under 100 competitors in the full-distance race.
Triathlon Magazine Canada July & August 2012
photos Mari Ekkje, Michel Arnautovitch
September 8, 2012
Montreal, Quebec
Full distance, half distance, Olympic distance,
sprint distance, duathlon (10 km/40 km/5 km)
esprittriathlon.com
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Almere Holland Triathlon
September 8, 2012
Almere, Holland
Full distance, half distance, team relay
almerehollandtriathlon.nl
Started in 1983, the Almere Holland Triathlon
is one of the oldest races in the world.
While the distances have changed over
the year when the event has hosted the
itu Long-distance Championship, Almere
is best known as a full-distance event set
in the heart of the Netherlands. Despite
the long, straight, f lat and windy roads,
the three-loop bike course is considerably
more challenging than one might think, but
remains a great first-timers event, especially
for those who come from f lat areas. The run
takes place partly along a dyke and partly on
remote cycling paths. The weekend includes
a number of different races, including an
Olympic distance and half-distance, too.
Last year there were only 300 athletes competing in the full-distance event, making it
a great race if you want to avoid crowds out
on the course.
right The 2011 Almere
Holland Triathlon
below The Great Floridian
Triathlon in Clermont, Fla.
Great Floridian
photos Mark E. Lepow/Sommer Sports, Bauke Wagenmakers
October 22, 2012
Clermont, Florida
Ultra: Full distance
Intermediate: 2 km/62 km/15 km
greatfloridian.com
“Who said Florida was flat?” Set in Clermont,
Florida, a popular training sp ot for Canadians
through the winter since it is, possibly, the
hilliest part of the state, the Great Floridian
is a full-distance race that will celebrate its
22nd running this year. The swim takes place
in picturesque Lake Minneola. That’s followed by a bike course that has numerous
rolling hills and one steep, short climb up
Sugarloaf Mountain. (Hey, it’s Florida – it’s as
close to a mountain as they get.) The threeloop, out-and-back run course follows the
South Lake Bike Trail. Just under 400 athletes took part in last year’s Ultra race. –KM
July & August 2012 triathlonmagazine.ca
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