Posted: June 17, 2007

Triathlon: Sharp fields line up for Quelle Challenge Roth

Australia’s Chris McCormack, a three-time champion at the Quelle Challenge Roth, will join a stellar field as he pursues a fourth title on Sunday, 24 June. McCormack and strong roster of international athletes also will be attempting to capture the US$100,000 bonus on offer to the athlete who can break the world record of 7:50:27 set here in 1997 by Luc van Lierde. McCormack first started in Roth in 2003 and has twice gone under the coveted eight-hour barrier over the classic German course. The list of athletes taking up the challenge with McCormack is impressive and includes Kiwi Kieran Doe, who took third at Roth last year under the watchful eye of then-new coach McCormack, young Aussie strongman Pete Jacobs and countrymen Chris McDonald, fourth at Ironman Western Australia in 2006, and Justin Granger, tenth here in 2005. Also on the start will be Canada’s Luke Dragstra, winner of the inaugural Challenge Wanaka in January, South Africa’s Raynard Tissink, winner of Ironman South Africa in 2005 and twice a top-10 finisher at the Ironman World Championship, Eneko Llanos of Spain, a two-time XTERRA world champion whose transition to long-course racing has included a fifth at the Ironman World Championship in Kona last year, and France’s Damien Favre-Felix, sixth here last year. From within Germany comes a powerful contingent that includes cycling ace and former Hawaii Ironman champ Thomas Hellriegel, Markus Forster (winner of Ironman Wisconsin last year), Roth’s own Bernd Eichhorn (seventh in Roth last year), and Michi Hoffmann, the winner of the world title for firefighters contested in Roth and a sub-9-hour finisher. The women will also be chasing a record—Paula Newby-Fraser’s world’s best time of 8:50:53 set in 1994. Defending champion Jo Lawn of New Zealand and 2005 champion Belinda Granger of Australia will be working hard to come in under nine hours—Lawn was close last year with her 9:01:17 finish—and attack Newby-Fraser’s record. A deep field will help push the pace all day, including Germany’s Ute Mückel (third here in 2005), Christine Waitz, a rising young star from Roth who won her age group at her first try in Kona last year, Heike Funk, a past top-five finisher in Roth and a mother of three, Susanne Buckenlei, eighth at Ironman Austria last year, and Heidi Jesberger, a past top-five finisher in Roth. From abroad come Hungary’s Erika Csomor, fourth here last year, and Yvonne van Vlerken of the Netherlands, a top duathlete and last year’s winner of Ironman 70.3 in Antwerp. In addition to the world record bonus, the race will be offering a total prize purse worth 73,500 euro—paid 10 deep—with 15,000 for first, 8,000 for second, 5,000 for third, 3,000 for fourth, 2,000 for fifth, 1,100 for sixth, 800 for seventh, 700 for eighth, 600 for ninth and 550 for tenth. As it always has been, the course’s accuracy has been verified by the insurance company that provides coverage for the race. You can follow the action live race week at www.challenge-live.com with webcams, photo galleries, videos, a live race ticker, news stories and a program that’ll allow you to follow your athlete from start to finish. The Quelle Challenge Roth, the former Ironman Europe, celebrated its fifth anniversary as an independent race with its July 2006 running. This year it will have 2,500 individual entries and another 500 relay teams. In total, some 4,000 endurance athletes will take on the storied course, making Roth the biggest event on the ultra-distance calendar. Race day for 2008 is July 13. Online registration will open at midnight on 23 June 2007, and hotels are already filling in Roth in anticipation so organisers advise athletes to enter early to avoid disappointment. There will be no waiting list. Athletes who raced this year will be able to register at the awards ceremony and receive a special deal in appreciation for their participation. Quelle Challenge Roth’s sponsors include: Quelle AG, Deutsche Post AG, N-ERGIE, PRO4, Newline, Nürnberger Nachrichten (Nürnberg Newspapers), Bayrische Versicherungskammer, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Sparkasse Mittelfranken-Süd, Arndt, Mavic, County of Roth, City of Roth, City of Hilpoltstein, Coca-Cola, Frankenbrunnen, Zeus Copy, Paladin, Hofmann, Jura Kaelte, Guttenberger & Partner, and Spedition Heinloth. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest