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Challenge Wanaka, Free Workshop

In association with the Auckland Triathlon Club

Sunday 18th May 2008

12.30pm - 4.30pm

Cornwall Cricket Club, 211 Greenlane Road, Epsom, Auckland.

Discover Challenge Wanaka, "the world's most spectacular iron distance triathlon". Set against the lake and mountain backdrop of Mt Aspiring National Park this incredible course is fast becoming a "must do" on the international triathlon circuit. Entries are now open for individuals and teams to complete this 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run.

Come along to our free training workshop and
-Find out more about the Challenge Wanaka and the spectacular course
-Gather winter training tips from pro-athletes Celia Kuch and Jeremy Smart
-Get nutritional advice from Balance
-Bring your running shoes and take part in a group training session
-Pre registration essential by Sunday May 11th at event@challenge-wanaka.com

Challenge Wanaka, 17th January 2009. Visit www.challenge-wanaka.com for details or come along to our free workshop.

Watch this space for other workshops coming to your town.

Challenge Wanaka is calling for triathlon club members throughout New Zealand to become involved in the long distance triathlon event and ean the ultimate accolade for their club. The Challenge Champion Club Trophy will be awarded to the highest ranked club team on January 17, 2009 earning them the title of Challenge Champion Club. As well as taking home the trophy they will also win a free entry to defend their title the following year in 2010.

"The teams' section of Challenge Wanaka makes ironman distance racing accessible to so many more people and is the perfect way to increase involvement in the sport," said event director, Victoria Murray-Orr. "It's what makes TEAMChallenge events unique and we hope this new aspect of the race will inspire clubs to enter teams and show the world just what they can achieve on this spectacular course."

Challenge Wanaka is part of the global TEAMChallenge Series that includes events in Germany, Spain and France as well as New Zealand with more planned. Billed as the world’s most scenic ironman distance triathlon, it attracts top professional athletes from around the world and New Zealand to the stunning alpine setting of Lake Wanaka.

Triathlon clubs who want to compete for the Champion Club Trophy can do so by entering online at: www.challenge-wanaka.com and writing the name of their club in the Team Name box. Entries before 31 May are $695, after which they rise to $750. Entries close on 31 December 2008.

ROTH, Germany (April 18, 2008) - The global race organisation behind the popular Quelle Challenge Roth (Germany), Challenge Neiderbronn-les-Bains (France) and Challenge Wanaka has announced its expansion into Spain where two new events in the spectacular Costa del Maresme region will join the Challenge family.
Both Spanish races will be centred around Barcelona, starting with the Evolution Challenge Costa Barcelona Maresme over the half ironman distance on May 10, 2009. Athletes who want to tackle a full long-course race can sign onto the Challenge Costa Barcelona Maresme which takes place on October 4, 2009. Lined with white-sand beaches, this section of the Catalonian coast lies about 50km from Barcelona and south of the Costa Brava. The race start and finish will be at the resort area of Calella del Mar.

The courses for both events will be identical, with competitors in the half distance race completing single loops of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run course. Competitors in the long distance race in October will complete two laps of each. The bike course is expected to be fast, covering smooth coastal roads with small rises but no major climbs – and it will be completely closed to traffic in both races. The run course heads from Calella del Mar to Malgrat de Mar and back along the any beach promenades with a mix of soft trails and asphalt underfoot.

The race will offer the large Spanish triathlon market a long-desired long course race on the Spanish mainland. It is also expected to draw on the triathlon-mad French market, especially in southwest France.

"The half distance date on May 10 is absolutely perfect as preparation for Quelle Challenge Roth, with beautiful settled weather on the Mediterranean," said TEAMChallenge director, Felix Walchshofer. "With the long-distance race in October we'll be offering the latest long course race date on the European calendar. With temperatures of about 22C in the water and 28C on land, conditions for the race will be ideal. We believe the race will appeal to athletes who'd like to do two long distance races in a year and to those who've perhaps failed to qualify for Hawaii but would like to do one more long race before winter.'

Sindballe, Vuckovic and Jacobs line up to challenge McCormack in Roth; Women's field promises fireworks

On the 13th of July in Roth, Germany, Chris McCormack will attempt to make the impossible possible as he sets out to defend his title at the Quelle Challenge Roth only one week after racing at Ironman Germany in Frankfurt. While some in the triathlon world might view the task as nearly impossible, the four-time Roth champion and the reigning Ironman world champion said he’s determined to make a go of it.

“For me it's important to try something that has never been done before,” said the always-tough Australian. “It's a huge undertaking, and I'm not even sure myself how it will go. But mistakes don’t count for me - I can't fail.”

After years of work and consistently improving performances, in October McCormack achieved his long-held dream of winning in Hawaii. And so it is in Roth this year - McCormack has set himself a lofty goal of facing former Hawaii winners Normann Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan at home in Frankfurt and just a week later defending the title he's held for four years in Roth.

To achieve it, he'll have to first go through a very classy Roth field that includes the man who came third behind McCormack in October-Danish triathlon ace Torbjørn Sindballe. The fearsome cyclist put together a very complete race in Kona last year and with his scientific approach to training and racing has set his sights on Roth's legendary potential for speed and taking a crack at the world- best mark of 7:50:27 set here in 1997 by Belgium's Luc van Lierde.

Also lining up is Germany's Stephan Vuckovic, silver medalist at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and a fairly recent convert to long-course racing, along with Australia's Pete Jacobs, who was third in Roth last year in his debut over the course. The hard-charging South African and five-time Ironman winner Raynard Tissink will also start along with New Caledonia's Patrick Vernay, a two-time winner of Ironman Australia. Back for another go on the course will also be legendary German triathlete Thomas Hellriegel, who returned to Roth last year and finished a fantastic fourth after driving hard on the bike all day. Australia's Chris McDonald, ninth last year in his first trip over the Roth course and winner of Ironman Louisville, will be returning while Kieran Doe of New Zealand, winner of Ironman Canada last year, will take all the advice he gets from his coach, McCormack, to put together another strong attack in Roth, where he was third in 2006. The field also includes Frenchmen Francois Chabaud and Sebastian Berlier, Canada's Luke Dragstra and Germany's Marc Pschebizin, recent winner of the Challenge Wanaka race in New Zealand. Fellow Germans Markus Forster, Olaf Sabatschus, Steffen Liebetrau, Sven Sundberg, Konstantin Bachor and Christoph Fürleger will round out this deep field.

One of the strongest women's fields this year The women's race promises fireworks with one of the toughest fields put together this year. Leading the charge will be defending champion Yvonne van Vlerken of the Netherlands. While van Vlerken may have surprised some last year when she came through on the run to claim her first Roth crown in 8:51:55, this year her adversaries will be marking her every move. Among those lining up against her will be German star Nina Eggert and the popular Aussie Belinda Granger, winner of the Quelle Challenge Roth in 2005 and recent winner of Ironman Malaysia ahead of van Vlerken. Hungary's Erika Csomor, a frequent top-five finisher in Roth, has a new coach and is showing her true talents after several injury-plagued seasons with wins at Ironman Arizona and the Ironman 70.3 California.

Up-and-coming Kiwi star Gina Ferguson, winner of the Challenge Wanaka race in January, will step up as will American Hillary Biscay. Also vying for top honors in Roth will be Charlotte Paul, a fast-closing Aussie who recently broke through with a win at Ironman Western Australia, former Ironman Australia winner Rebekah Keat (sixth in Hawaii last year), Leanda Cave, another recent convert to long-course racing who was eighth in her Kona debut last year, and New Zealand's Merryn Greenwood. They'll be facing a host of Germany's best long- course exponents, including Celia Kuch, Christine Waitz, Anja Ippach und Ute Mückel, who was unable to start last year after a bike crash.

Joining the elites in the world's largest long-course contest will be 2,800 individual athletes and 515 teams from 50 countries-a new nationality record for this international race. Visit the race website at www.challenge-roth.com for more and for live updates on race day.

Sponsors of the Quelle Challenge Roth include: Quelle, Deutsche Post, N-Ergie, Sponser, Sparkasse Mittelfranken-Süd, Verischerungs Kammer Bayern, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Wöhrl, Arndt, Fiegl & Konrad, Mavic, Hofmann, Franken Brunnen, Pyraser, B&C Collection, Jura-Kälte, Heinloth, Nürnberger Nachrichten, Arvena Hotels, Zeus Copy, Landkreis Roth, Stadt Roth, Stadt Hilpoltstein, Der Beck, Guttenberger-Partner, M. Reithelshöfer, Burkhartsmaier, Henglein, Perfetto, Frei, and SanLucar.