Posted: May 3, 2005

Triathlon: Quelle Challenge Roth announces star-studded field

The Quelle Challenge Roth, the world's largest iron-distance triathlon, has assembled a pro field for the 2005 edition on July 3 that includes both defending champions and a mix of top international and German competitors.

Known for its picturesque castle (built in the 1500s), welcoming town square and cobbled streets, Roth is also home to the first sub-eight-hour Ironman-a feat accomplished by five-time Roth champion Lothar Leder in 1996, when he went 7:57:02. The next year, Belgium's Luc van Lierde took that record to a world's best 7:50:27, a mark that still stands. Incredibly, van Lierde was not the only one in under eight hours on the day-he brought with him a trio of Germans intimately familiar with the classic course: Jürgen Zäck, Leder and Thomas Hellriegel.

Formerly known as Ironman Europe, the race in 2001 ended its association with the World Triathlon Corporation and gave up its Kona slots but has thrived as an independent. With 450 relay teams, the number of athletes set to start the fourth edition of the Quelle Challenge Roth in July will top out at more than 3,500. More than 2,200 individual athletes will take to the start line not in search of a place on the start line in Hawaii but because they're seeking the incredible experience found only in Roth, with its amazing fans, beautiful Bavarian landscape and storied racecourse--what Triathlon Magazine in Germany calls the dream factory of Roth.

At the sharp end of the field, Aussie Chris McCormack will be looking for a repeat of his dramatic win here last year, when he too entered the coveted sub-eight-hour club with a 7:57:50 finish ahead of Germany's Faris al-Sultan, who clocked a 7:58:47.

"Roth is very important to me," McCormack said. "I'm a bit of a history buff, and I've followed that race since I was a kid. I still feel it's important."

Al-Sultan, third in Kona in 2004, will be back, as will countryman Timo Bracht, third in Roth and eighth in Hawaii. In April, Al-Sultan earned his first Ironman victory at Ironman Arizona and will be entering Roth with the confidence that comes from such a win.

The men's start list also includes Aussie Jason Shortis, the inaugural Ironman Western Australia champ; Germany's Alex Taubert, fourth in Hawaii last year; Sweden's Clas Björling, second at Ironman New Zealand in 2004; and Frenchmen Cyrille Neuveu, second at Ironman South Africa, and Christophe Bastie, sixth in Roth last year. Swedish cycling ace Björn Andersson, third at Ironman New Zealand in 2004, is also joining the start list and will no doubt feature with the leaders on two wheels.

The King of Roth, five-time winner Lothar Leder, will be seeking revenge for the tough performance he had last year, when injury slowed him and he finished fifth.

"A place in the top three will be possible for sure," Leder said tactically. "Whether a sixth victory will be possible will only be clear on race day," he added, because "always the form on the day decides it, and there is still a lot of time until July."

Also returning to Roth will be Andreas Niedrig, a longtime German long-course star who's coming back from a nearly two-year layoff from several surgeries to correct foot problems. Niedrig says he wants to close out his career at his favorite race, in Roth.

The women's race also features a matchup between last year's winner, two-time champion Nicole Leder of Germany, and Aussie Belinda Granger, who in her first year in Roth came home second after leading much of the day. Germany's Ute Mückel, third last year, will also return. As with the men, a strong performance in Roth signaled a good year in Kona, as Leder finished tenth there and Granger sixth. Germany's Heike Funk, a mother of three, is set to start also; she was fourth here last year and second in 2003.

Athletes from 42 nations are signed up, and 30 percent of the starters are internationals. The race doubles as the German Long-Distance Championship and the Ultra-Distance World Championship for Firefighters.

Although the race has reached its capacity for entries, a waiting list has been created that guarantees the first 200 athletes a place on the start line. The waiting list will close May 17.

For more information, visit www.challenge-roth.com.

Quelle Challenge Roth's sponsors include: Quelle AG, Deutsche Post AG, N-ERGIE, Newline, Nürnberger Nachrichten (Nürnberg Newspapers), Bayrische Versicherungskammer, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Sparkasse Mittelfranken-Süd, Arndt, Mavic, INKO Energy, County of Roth, City of Roth, City of Hilpoltstein, Coca-Cola, Frankenbrunnen, Zeus Copy, Paladin, Hofmann, Jura Kaelte, Flor & Sohn, Spedition Heinloth, and BIESTMILCH.