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The world-wide Challenge family welcomes a new member: On September 5, 2010 the premiere of the Kaufhaus Tyrol Challenge Walchsee-Kaiserwinkl will take place at the foot of the Kaisergebirge mountains in Austria. The beautiful Kaiserwinkl region, only a stone's throw from the German border, will be the location of the first Challenge triathlon in Austria and it will certainly be a dreamlike place for this extraordinary event.

Race course with breathtaking views
The swim course will be in the Walchsee lake at the foot of the Kaisergebirge mountains. The lake is 25 metres deep, has a temperature of between 20 and 24°C and drinking water quality – the best prerequisites for fast swim results. The bike course leads through the picturesque Pillerseetal valley via Kössen to Hochfilzen, which is well-known among athletes for its biathlon competitions. Then the course takes the athletes down to St. Johann on a smooth road and through an interesting landscape. The next town along the course is Schwendt, from where the athletes will return to the starting point at the Walchsee lake. Altogether the athletes will have to deal with an altitude difference of 800 metres on the bike course. The run course with some slight hills consists of three laps along the lake promenade, where the athletes will pass farms, fields and meadows around the lake, and will be able to enjoy beautiful views of the Kaisergebirge mountains and the Walchsee lake. The finish-line will be located at the big event area by the lake.

Without a doubt, this 8th location of the world-wide Challenge series in the "Kaiserwinkl" region at the foot of the Wilder Kaiser mountain in Tyrol will add another attraction to the series. Apart from the Challenge competitions in Roth/Germany, Wanaka/New Zealand, Niederbronn-Les-Bains/France, Barcelona/Spain (two events), Kraichgau/Germany and Copenhagen/Denmark (as of 2010), athletes from around the world will now also be able to fight for records in Tyrol.

Perfect location and date
But it is not only the race course in the middle of a beautiful mountain scenery that will be a guarantee for a successful premiere of the Kaufhaus Tyrol Challenge Walchsee Kaiserwinkl. Felix Walchshöfer, organizer of the world-wide Challenge series, says: "I am very much looking forward to the race in Tyrol. Austria is an important market for us. The location is conveniently situated just across the German-Austrian border near the city of Kufstein, which will be a big advantage for German athletes. And the airports of Munich, Salzburg and Innsbruck are only an hour's drive away. The date at the beginning of September has also been well chosen, since the new Challenge half-distance triathlon will certainly be a special highlight at the end of the European triathlon season."

The organizers of the competition are glad to co-operate with the Walchsee community authorities, since they are experienced in organizing big sports events. Mayor Andreas Mayr says: "The community of Walchsee can draw upon many years of experience in organizing sports events. In the last few decades we have held many big sports competitions in summer and in winter on a national and international basis. As the mayor of our community I can assure that the organizers of the triathlon have chosen their location well – not only because of our beautiful scenery."

Signa Holding as title sponsor
Fortunately local race organizer Andreas Klingler and his team have found a title sponsor for the competition straightaway: Signa Holding, one of the leading Austrian real estate companies, which is currently involved in building the "Kaufhaus Tyrol" in Innsbruck, one of Europe’s most modern urban stores (opening in spring 2010). Signa managing director René Benko says: "For me triathlon is a fascinating sport. The professional organizing team, fantastic surrounding conditions and the popularity of triathlon will turn the Kaufhaus Tyrol Challenge Walchsee Kaiserwinkl into a real highlight in Tyrol." And organizer Andreas Klingler adds: "The fair and exciting competitions of the Challenge series and the emotional family atmosphere are well-known across all borders. We think that the philosophy of the Challenge family is a perfect match for us. Strength and heart-felt friendliness are characteristics that are typical for the people here in Tyrol as well."

Homepage online – Applications possible as of July 12
The last few details of the race course are still being worked out, but the application lists will be launched on July 12, 2009 – the day the "mother event", Quelle Challenge Roth, takes place. The new homepage www.challenge-walchsee.at is now online with more information.