Challenge Roth at 40: Stacked Fields and Increased Ambitions

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday I had one of those days where I questioned my sanity a bit! It was a beautiful morning, about 22 Celsius/71 Fahrenheit, and a little bit of cloud cover. The ideal temperature to head outdoors for a bike workout.

You’d think…

Instead, I hooked the bike onto the stationary trainer and did the workout in my garage. Like a psychopath.

Surely I’m not the only one who does this? Right?!?! 😅

In today’s edition: 

• Challenge Roth celebrates 40 years and tests IRONMAN’s championship supremacy.

• Do men and women react differently to caffeine?

• And are you making these long run mistakes?

Thanks for being here,

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free. 

ONE BIG THING

Challenge Roth Celebrates 40 Years with Stacked Fields and Increased Ambitions

What is it: This weekend marks the 40th edition of Challenge Roth, one of Triathlon’s most iconic races.

• It’s known for blazing-fast times, and crowd support unlike any other event with over 250,000 spectators lining the course.

• It has also become a “bucket-list” race that typically sees the event sell out within minutes.

The race: Challenge Roth is a full-distance triathlon (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run). The flat and fast swim takes place in the Main-Donau Canal, the 2 loop bike course makes its way through the German countryside, and the run travels along the canal before finishing in the town of Roth.

• For many, the most storied part of the race is the famous Solarer Berg hill which is jam-packed with screaming fans.

Start lists: For age group athletes and pros, Challenge Roth is an event not to be missed as evidenced by the stacked start lists.

The women’s race is highlighted by former IRONMAN World Champion Anne Haug (GER) who will be battling with countrywoman Laura Phillip and Els Visser (NED).

• The men’s race will see previous champions Magnus Ditlev (GER) and Patrick Lange (GER) try to hold off Clement Mignon (FRA) and other T100 stars including Pieter Heemeryck (BEL) and Rudy Von Berg (USA).

How to watch: If you can’t be in Roth, you can catch the race broadcast on the Challenge Roth YouTube channel starting July 7th at 6:30AM CET

Tempo’s take: If there was a Mt. Rushmore for triathlon, Challenge Roth would certainly have a place. The atmosphere and vibe of the event is incredibly distinct, and its importance within the triathlon ecosystem seems to be growing steadily.

Part of that has had to do with the decision in 2023 to split IRONMAN World Championships. When Kona became “Kona and Nice,” the IMWC lost a bit of its gravitas. When you can’t have everyone together to celebrate sport and excellence, it just isn’t the same.

If IRONMAN continues to split the World Championship or move it to a completely new location, it could quickly lose the prestige it has built up over the decades.

• And Challenge Roth would be more than happy to take the crown from Kona.

FAVOURITES

😱 Long run mistakes: The Sunday long run is a staple of so many endurance athletes, and chances are you do them as well. But could you be screwing up your long runs? This article explains the easy mistakes you can make in this crucial workout, and how to fix them! [Marathon Handbook]

☕ Caffeine effects: Do men and women react differently to caffeine for performance? Nope! According to a new study, men and women both see similar performance gains across strength, power, and endurance. Time for another coffee! [PubMed]

🍳 Up your morning routine: Trying to fit in training, work, and life can be incredibly tricky! A good way to get more out of your time? Optimizing your morning routine. This Reddit thread has some surefire time-saving suggestions. [Reddit]

⚔️ Blummenfelt vs. YouTuber: Kristian Blummenfelt is training the house down hoping to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals. So how would a random YouTuber fare trying to train with him for a day? Not great! As seen in this hilarious and insightful video. [Magnus Midtbø]

📊 Olympic selection data: Is all the drama around Olympic selection necessary? Data scientist Alexander Hinton crunched the numbers to see if federations really need to rely on discretionary selection. The answer was surprising, and may point to a new way of selecting Olympic triathletes! [Alexander Hinton]

REEL TIME

“Its all about the process…It’s all about the process.” 😅

runwithzig

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RACE WEEKEND

IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Ollone

Men’s race: Nicolas Mann (GER) won his second IRONMAN Pro Series race in a very tight finish with Youri Keulin (NED) and Clement Mignon (FRA).

• 🥇 Nicolas Mann (GER)

• 🥈 Youri Keulin (NED)

• 🥉 Clement Mignon (FRA)

Women’s race: Laura Madsen (DEN) put in a clinical effort across swim, bike, and run. But it may have been the massive time she put in both transitions that sealed her victory over Nikki Bartlett (GBR)

• 🥇 Laura Madsen (DEN)

• 🥈 Nikki Bartlett (GBR)

• 🥉 Kate Curran (GBR)

Full results

Other pro races 👇

World Triathlon Para Series Montreal, Challenge Cagnes-Sur-Mer

QUICK NEWS

Navy champions: Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Hooker and Navy Ensign Hannah Walz took the respective wins at this year’s Armed Forces Triathlon. [Stars and Stripes]

Charity success: A charity triathlon in aid of a seriously ill North Herts schoolboy has raised over £15,000 to support his increasing needs at home. [The Comet]

Malaysian support: IBPO Group Berhad, a financial company, has announced the appointment of Malaysian Triathlete and multiple triathlon medalist, Ann Pow as its first brand ambassador. Congrats Ann! [Yahoo Finance]

Sun Devil schedule: The defending NCAA Triathlon Champion ASU Sun Devils just released their schedule for the 2024-25 season. First up? The Collegiate Cup in Mt. Shashta!. [The Sun Devils]

NHL to Ironman: Bryan Little spent 12 seasons in the National Hockey scoring goals, gaining assists, and maybe a fight here and there. Now, he’s swimming, biking, running, and loving his new endurance passion! [Orillia Matters]

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• Are you making the four most-common nutrition mistakes? 

• Why triathletes need to train faster! (not harder).

• How did Blueseventy redesign an incredible wetsuit? Backwards shorts!

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