5500 athletes at DATEV Challenge Roth to celebrate 30 years of triathlon
On Sunday 20 July, DATEV Challenge Roth will celebrate 30 years of triathlon in Roth with a field of 5,500 athletes from over 60 nations, including the strongest pro field ever seen on the fast Bavarian course. Supported by over 220,000 spectators, Challenge Roth athletes will once again be a part of the greatest triathlon on earth.
The pro field will feature two world champions, Pete Jacobs and Mirinda Carfrae, both of Australia. They are joined by Luke McKenzie (AUS), James Cunnama (RSA), Eneko Llanos (ESP), defending champion Dirk Bockel (LUX), European champion Ritchie Nicholls (GBR) and top German athletes Timo Bracht and Nils Frommhold.
Among the women, Rachel Joyce (GBR) will once again go head to head with Carfrae, joined by Yvonne van Vlerken, Caroline Steffen (SUI) and Michelle Vesterby (DEN) and Rebekah Keat (AUS) forming an absolute world-class field, together with the German top triathletes Anja Beranek (formerly Ippach) and Julia Gajer.
Defending champion Caroline Stefffen is in a much better place than she was last year after some big changes to her professional triathlon life. Since moving over to coach Chris McCormack Steffen has looked a lot happier and much more settled. All the signs show that Steffen is poised to post some strong results and the professional women’s at Roth will have to be on their game to keep her off the top of the podium. A spot Steffen knows well.
Another former winner Yvonne van Vlerken has been showing some great form and will be wanting to put her name on the trophy once more this weekend.
Current world champion Mirinda Carfrae is looking to test herself in Roth on one of the biggest triathlon stages in the world. She will be racing fellow Australian Rebekah Keat who knows Roth well.
The competition will start with a 3.8 kilometres swim in the Main-Donau-Canal, followed by a 180 kilometres bike race and a final marathon of 42 kilometres. The race winner is expected to cross the finish-line in less than eight hours. The current world record “which was established in Roth“is 7:41:33, run by Andreas Raelert in 2011.
