Latest News

Kia Motors announced as official Challenge Wanaka vehicle supplier

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:31:00 +0000

Challenge Wanaka today announced Kia Motors as the event's official vehicle supplier, providing the iron distance triathlon with a fleet of vehicles and building on Kia's support of New Zealand's world-class multisport events.

Todd McDonald, general manager of Kia Motors New Zealand Ltd, said, "This partnership is about supporting a sport and lifestyle that is embraced by New Zealanders while reinforcing the passion and competition that makes up the DNA of Kia Motors. This relationship continues our international strategy to focus on extreme performance and with our support of New Zealanders participating locally at world-class levels.

"One of New Zealand's top performers in this field is Richard Ussher, who has already confirmed his entry and we feel his involvement reinforces our participation in this event."

Challenge Wanaka race director, Victoria Murray-Orr, said getting the support of major international brand Kia Motors reinforced Challenge Wanaka's continued growth on the international triathlon scene.

"Challenge Wanaka may be the latest addition to the circuit but when a respected company such as Kia Motors believes in it as much as we do, then you know the event is making its mark. Kia vehicles fit well into the mindset of Challenge Wanaka, particularly the 4x4 Sorento that can take on anything, just like the athletes."

Richard Ussher to start at Challenge Wanaka

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:14:00 +0000

Challenge Wanaka today announced world champion adventure racer, Richard Ussher will compete at Challenge Wanaka taking on New Zealand's toughest iron distance course on January 17, 2009.

Ussher has amassed an impressive resume of achievements, both as part of the former New Zealand team, Seagate/Balance Vector, and on an individual basis including World Adventure Racing Champion in 2005 and 2006. He has also won the Speights Coast to Coast Word Multisport Championships in 2005, 2006 and in 2008 and has dominated the national scene in New Zealand.

Further highlighting his ability as an athlete, Ussher also represented New Zealand at the Olympics, competing in the men's ski moguls event at the 1998 Winter Games and a decade later he has added the most grueling form of triathlon to his repertoire.

"I like to try new events and continually challenge myself on different courses against different people. Having raced in Taupo this year the obvious goal for me was to try the other iron distance event in the country," he said. "Wanaka and the Southern Lakes area is also a pretty special place for me, it is where I lived for a number of years while ski training. The main attraction though is to race on such a stunning course in an area I love, and to experience Challenge Wanaka for the first time with many others passionate about endurance sport."

Ussher joins a strong line up of top international and New Zealand professional athletes that will include defending champions, Marc Pschebizin (GER) and New Zealand's fastest female iron distance athlete, Gina Ferguson who recently won third at the world's largest iron distance race, Quelle Challenge Roth in Germany.

Challenge Wanaka announces week long triathlon festival

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:19:00 +0000

Challenge Wanaka today announced a week long festival of triathlon from January 11-17, 2009 with the addition of a junior event and a criterium-style sprint event to the already established iron distance race.

Challenge Wanaka is working with Triathlon New Zealand to bring a race in the Contact Cup Series on Friday January 16. The late afternoon race will see athletes racing at high speed through the streets of central Wanaka's providing a thrilling evening's entertainment for spectators. It is expected to attract all levels of triathletes, from those just starting out to some of New Zealand's most well-known elite competitors.

Tri NZ CEO Dave Beeche said he is very excited to be bringing another Contact Cup race series down to the South Island

"Wanaka is a stunning location and with the holidaymakers at that time of year, we are hoping to get a broader participation base involved in the event and are looking forward to working with Challenge Wanaka to bring together the complete triathlon package, one that will appeal to the first time and 'social' competitors, as well as the elites."

The Challenge Wanaka Triathlon Festival kicks off with the new Puzzling World Junior Challenge on Sunday, January 11. Aimed at introducing children from 8-15 to triathlon and getting them involved in sport, the race will feature three distances depending on age and is guaranteed to be a lot of fun for both children and parents.

"We're thrilled to announce these two new events as part of the Challenge Wanaka experience and to be working with Tri NZ to help promote and grow the sport," said race director, Victoria Murray-Orr. "Spectators and athletes can now enjoy both ends of the triathlon spectrum during the week, from the high speed sprint to the inspiring ironman distance plus it's wonderful to be able to get the kids involved."

New world record in Roth

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:06:00 +0000

On a record-setting day in Roth, defending champion Yvonne Van Vlerken of the Netherlands took out a dramatic win that smashed triathlon legend Paula Newby-Fraser's world record of 8:50:53 set here in 1994 with a scintillating 8:45:48.

And proving that the bar has been lifted to new heights in women's triathlon, the second place woman - Hungary's Erika Csomor - also came in under Newby-Fraser's time, in 8:47:05. Third went to New Zealand's Gina Ferguson, in only her second year of ironman racing, in 8:57:18. Australia's Belinda Granger, the 2005 champion, took fourth less than a minute behind Ferguson with fellow Aussie Rebekah Keat fifth in 9:02:34.

All this on a day that started out with steady rain that continued until the start of the marathon.

"I am so happy. I trained so hard and dreamed of a world record every night, but today with the weather it was so hard," an ecstatic Van Vlerken said at the finish. "It was raining all the time and there was a lot of wind - but bye, bye, world record. I felt great."

Van Vlerken and Csomor are rivals from their years racing duathlons and they marked each another all day. It started in the swim and they stayed within hailing distance on the bike and together pursued bike leader Granger, who started the run with more than eight minutes over the pair. After they made their way to the front the battle continued into the last 10km of the run, when Van Vlerken was finally able to open up a gap on Csomor, a frequent top five finisher here in Roth and winner earlier this year of Ironman Arizona.

"I really had a hard fight with Erika and I could hear her breathing, and I said 'Yvonne, stay cool, stay cool, take it easy and run your own rhythm and if she overtakes then she's just better.' I really pushed hard," the 29-year-old Van Vlerken said of the run. "I don't know if I would have broken the world record if she wasn't there, because she really pushed me."

"The world record belongs to Roth and I hope it will last until next year when I can break it again if there are good conditions," Van Vlerken said.

Csomor, for her part, said that Van Vlerken was never far from her mind in training - proof that the women are driving themselves to new heights in triathlon. "In the training camp for the last six weeks, Yvonne was the favourite topic," Csomor said. "We kind of motivated each other. We knew she was training hard. And we are training hard in another place. We are pulling each other, not just in the race but during training."

On a morning that dawned with rain that kept coming until the marathon started for the leaders, many observers predicted slow times - but they were wrong.

First out of the water was legendary German long-distance star and superfish Ute Mückel, trailed by Keat and Granger, with American Hillary Biscay next out onto the bike course. Granger, known for her bike prowess here, then started opening up a gap on the rest of the women - by 70km she had 2:30, more than 6min at 120km, and 8min by T2.

Granger set out on the run with determination but the pursuit was relentless and by 9km Van Vlerken and Csomor had closed her lead down to one minute, then overtook her at about 15km. From there they drove one another to a pair of sub-three-hour marathons - 2:54:22 for Van Vlerken and 2:55:54 for Csomor, a frequent top-five finisher in Roth and the winner of this year's Ironman Arizona."

"It's just amazing to come to a race and get pushed to your absolute limits," said Granger. "At 37 years of age I don't really expect to do PBs, and that's a PB by 9 minutes so I'm really happy.

"Erika is a training partner of mine. It was really good to see her do so well. One world record's pretty insane but two is out of this world."

Ferguson, for her part, was just going as fast as she could with the goal of catching Granger, which she did with just 4km to go. "I was just giving everything to the end. I never race with a watch so I had no idea what the time was. I thought maybe I would do 9.10 today; 8.57 for me was really, really special."

"I've been in ironman for one year," she said. "To be under 9 hours - I never thought I'd be able to do this so I'm really happy."

Vernay shines at Roth

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:56:00 +0000

Heat-loving New Caledonian Patrick Vernay wasn't sure he’d be able to go well in the rain at the seventh Quelle Challenge Roth on Sunday, but when he got to the run he did what he does best - fly. His 2:47 marathon carried him to the finish first in 8:09:34, three minutes clear of Aussie Pete Jacobs in second and Denmark's Torbjørn Sindballe in third.

"It's amazing. In the morning I didn't want to start because I hate the rain," said Vernay, a two-time Ironman Australia champion who's fast earning a reputation in triathlon for his quick closing run. "I only knew I would win when I was 2km from the finish line."

Rounding out the top five were Australia's Chris McDonald and France's Francois Chabaud, whose 2:48 marathon, second only to Vernay's, hauled him up from more than 20 minutes down off of the bike.

Defying the rainy skies, Roth's triathlon-mad fans turned out by the thousands with umbrellas accompanying their traditional banners and noisemakers.

The swim saw a breakaway in the Main-Donau Kanal early as super swimmers Jacobs and Kieran Doe of New Zealand opened up a gap of more than 100m on McCormack and Sindballe. Another 50m behind them a group of 20-plus athletes had gathered, including Vernay, 2000 Olympic silver medalist Stephan Vuckovic and Chabaud.

But once out of the water it wasn't long until Sindballe - riding in conditions that suited him down to the ground-surged to the front on the bike, passing McCormack at about 20km and picking up Doe and Jacobs another 5-10km later. He was the first up the famed Solarer Berg climb at 70km with nearly 1:30 on McCormack and German super-biker Thomas Hellriegel, whose fourth place finish here last year earned him the German long-distance title.

"I like the rain, so that was a plus. I'm positive about it and that's what makes the difference," Sindballe said. "Going up the Solarer Berg was absolutely amazing. It's awesome - it's one of a kind in triathlon."

McCormack, who'd scored a dramatic win at Ironman Germany just one week ago, dropped out about 75km into the bike after staying with the leaders through the first summit of the Solarer Berg - a climb he'd earlier in the week called the best in triathlon. The four-time Roth winner said he was feeling the effects of a virus that struck him this week and opted to call it a day to preserve his health. Also failing to finish was early swim and bike leader Doe.

Meantime, Sindballe was getting into a rhythm and consolidated his lead throughout the rest of the ride, building it to more than 7:30 over Hellriegel by the time the men reached T2.

"It took me 10km to get into the running, then it started getting better," Sindballe said of his marathon. Jacobs and Vernay came past at about 28km and that was when the tall Dane started to feel the effects of a recent return to full run training. "I'm at 80 per cent on running and I can't expect more in a big race like this. It should be won by a guy who puts on a 100 per cent performance and they did a really good job today."

Jacobs moved into the lead briefly but he too found himself fading as Vernay's tempo grew stronger behind him.

"I'm very happy to have improved on last year. There weren't many places to go above third - it's not first but I had a go at it," Jacobs said. "I tried to run fast when I felt good but in the end I didn't have the strength in my muscles and I just started to feel weak with 10km to go. I just had to struggle home and watch Patrick pass me and run away."

Vernay, for his part, found himself enjoying the day despite the weather.

"It was marvelous," Vernay said of his Roth experience. "I've never done a race with so many people on the road. Even with the rain, the people were there."

TEAMChallenge announces new addition to Challenge Family

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:10:00 +0000

The Kraichgau Triathlon, a popular triathlon festival set on the home turf of legendary triathlete Thomas Hellriegel, has become the latest event to join the Challenge family, organizers announced this week. The event, set in the gorgeous Baden-Wurttemberg region of southern Germany, just celebrated its fourth running on 8 June with Aussies Chris McCormack and Belinda Granger taking out the middle distance events in their run up to racing at the Quelle Challenge Roth.

The race will cover a 1.9km/90km/21km course. Race day will be June 14, 2009, giving athletes preparing for the Quelle Challenge Roth a great opportunity to test their training before the race in Roth on July 12, 2009.

Race director Stefan Hellriegel said joining TEAMChallenge was a natural for his event, which is all about the passion of triathlon - a passion for the sport he shares with TEAMChallenge.

"Nearly everyone in our team has raced in Roth many times - and when we were not racing, we were standing on the race course as spectators," Hellriegel said. "Roth was always a special triathlon experience for us - whether as participants or spectators. It was the race that brought this sport to Europe and its tremendous success helped shape triathlon here.

"The Challenge in Roth is a triathlon of the heart. It was in this spirit that we organized the Kraichgau Triathlon," he said. "We were inspired not only by their organization but also by the spirit of the race."

As the Challenge organization sought a middle-distance race that could serve as a good preparation race within Germany, it was a natural choice to look to Kraichgau, said Roth race director Felix Walchshofer. "We think that the spirit of Kraichgau fits very well together with us."

There's more information about the Sparkasse Challenge Kraichgau here: www.challenge-kraichgau.com.

Challenge Wanaka in front of millions at Quelle Challenge Roth

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:27:00 +0000

New Zealand's top ironman athletes will get a taste of home when they cross the finish line at the world's largest iron distance triathlon, Quelle Challenge Roth in Germany on July 13.

Professional athletes Gina Ferguson, Kieran Doe and rookie Merryn Greenwood will be greeted in the finish line stadium with a haka by Manaia, who also performed at the Rugby World Cup. Also competing at Quelle Challenge Roth is Garth Barfoot (Auckland) who at 72 is the third eldest in the 4,500 strong field. Twelve other Kiwi age group athletes join them on the start line.

The initiative by Challenge Wanaka is designed to profile New Zealand as well as increase awareness of Quelle Challenge Roth's sister event, Challenge Wanaka which takes place every January. Tourism New Zealand provided Challenge with the material to use at Roth in order to help profile New Zealand as a destination. With Quelle Challenge Roth's TV audience of over five million and newspaper audience in excess of 31 million, Manaia's cultural performances will gain New Zealand, its athletes and Challenge Wanaka valuable exposure within the European marketplace.

Granger, Chabaud win inaugural Challenge France

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:32:00 +0000

Australia's Belinda Granger and home-country favourite Francois Chabaud took out wins in the inaugural Challenge France on 25 May in Niederbronn-les-Bains. The race, a 1.9km/90km/21.1km contest in the growing Challenge family of events, had filled with a capacity field of 1200 athletes from 18 countries competing on the scenic course through the Vosges region near Strasbourg.

The women's race came down to a spirited contest between Granger, a veteran long-course star and past Quelle Challenge Roth champion, and rising Czech athlete Lucie Zelenkova. The pair battled head to head on the run, with Granger surging in the last stages to win by just 5 seconds. Germany's Nina Eggert took third another 2min in arrears.

The men's race, which was stacked with some of Europe's top long course athletes, saw Chabaud put on a display of dominance on the bike backed by a strong run to cross the tape the clear winner in 3:51:57. In second was Belgium's Rutger Beke with France's Patrick Bringer third.

"We're thrilled with this debut race," said TEAMChallenge Roth's Felix Walchshofer. "It was a great day out for the athletes and the spectators." Thousands turned out to watch the day's events, which included age group races and a teams competition.

The French race was the first race in Europe outside Roth to bear the Challenge label. Its course covered a one-lap swim in Moutherouse Lake, a two-lap bike through the nature park of the northern Vosges and a run over two challenging loops on forest roads and trails.

Auckland Training Workshop Well Received

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Auckland iron distance triathletes turned out last weekend to attend a free Challenge Wanaka Training Workshop in Cornwall Park.

Pro-athletes Celia Kuch and Jeremy Smart addressed the group with their top motivational training tips, Ally Boggs, 'The Swim Clinic', provided invaluable swim pointers and Martin Bolton, 'Balance' enlightened the group with nutritional advice for competeting in long-distance races.

The group of participants comprised of some seasoned iron man competitors a few of whom competed at Challenge Wanaka last year, and others who are interested in competing in an iron distance race for the first time as both individuals and team members.

A summary of the workshop is available upon request from enter(at)challenge-wanaka.com

Free Challenge Wanaka Training Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:10:00 +0000

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 Champion Club Trophy

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:17:00 +0000

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.

TEAM Challenge Announce Two New Races for Spain 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:37:00 +0000

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.'

Women’s field promises fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:44:00 +0000

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.

Challenge Wanaka announces on-line entries and international travel partners

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:43:00 +0000

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand (March 22, 2008) - With just under a week to go until the "Early Bird" entry fees close, athletes can now enter the world’s most scenic iron-distance event, Challenge Wanaka, on-line through the event’s secure web server atwww.challenge-wanaka.com. The special prices of $450 for individuals and $595 for teams are valid until midnight on March 28, 2008, after which the price will increase to $550 for individuals and $695 for teams.

Following the significant international interest in this year’s event, Challenge Wanaka has teamed up with two specialist travel agents to promote the event in the USA, UK and Europe for 2009.

Nirvana Europe is the leading triathlon sports travel company in the UK and Europe providing specialist travel and accommodation packages to sporting events worldwide. As part of their triathlon portfolio of events, Nirvana Europe is collaborating with Challenge Wanaka as the official travel and accommodation managers for the UK.

For athletes looking for the ultimate triathlon training camp, Pacific Cycle Tours has put together a unique tour featuring top pro athletes. Athletes can tour New Zealand with pro-athletes Marc Pschebizin (GER) (Challenge Wanaka winner '08) and Susanne Buckenlei (GER) and local triathlete Axel Reiser on a 22-day swim-bike-run around the South Island with the end goal of Challenge Wanaka '09. Pacific Cycle Tours has specialised in customised tours of New Zealand since 1987. A New Zealand Tourism Award winner they combine their extensive knowledge of the New Zealand landscape with their passion for triathlon and attention to detail.

For further information, visit: www.challenge-wanaka.com, www.nirvanaeurope.com, www.bike-nz.com.

Top Professionals Confirmed for Challenge Wanaka

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 05:14:00 +0000

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand (October 3, 2007) – Challenge Wanaka today announced leading professional iron-distancetriathletes, Belinda Granger (AUS) and Luke Dragstra (CAN) will return to Lake Wanaka to defend their titles in 2008.

Dragstra has finished in the top 10 of six iron-distance races, including fifth at Ironman Western Australia and eighth at Quelle Challenge Roth in June. Granger is one of Australia’s sporting stars with six iron-distance victories in her career including Quelle Challenge Roth, Ironman Canada and Ironman Korea as well as being a regular top 10 finisher at Ironman Hawaii.

Justin Granger (AUS) is also returning to Wanaka looking to better his second place in 2007 as is Hillary Biscay (USA) who finished third in the inaugural Challenge Wanaka and has just taken out second place in both Ironman UK and Ironman Winsconsin, within just three weeks of each other.

Challenge Wanaka will take place on January 19, 2008 and is part of the global TEAMChallenge series that includes events in Germany, France and Spain. For further information, visit www.challenge-wanaka.com.

Event and Race Director's Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Challenge Wanaka) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:20:00 +0000

INTERVIEW BETWEEN CHALLENGE WANAKA EVENT DIRECTOR, VICTORIA MURRAY-ORR, AND RACE DIRECTOR, FELIX WALCHSHÖFER

What changes have been made under the new ownership?

VMO: The race will follow the ethos of all TEAM Challenge events - fair, fun and professionally run. It’s the attention to detail that makes the difference. Our main focus is on delivering an outstanding event within the time frame available. However, we have introduced some new initiatives such as the Champion Club Trophy for New Zealand triathlon clubs and fund raising opportunities for the local community.

FW: For me, it’s important that the first TEAM Challenge event outside of Germany continues to be a success. Lake Wanaka is such a spectacular destination and we’re delighted to be working with local professionals who understand what’s needed to make an event work in this region. We work well together and have a very similar approach to the task in hand. It is important that the event is now run out of Wanaka with many of the local crew from 2007. In short, this small change will have a huge, positive effect on the race.

How is it going work with Felix in Germany and Victoria in New Zealand?

FW: The distance isn’t really an issue. I am very familiar with the course and its details and we speak regularly on the phone and via email. There is no doubt I will rely heavily on Victoria for getting the key components in place before I arrive in early January – from then on together we will hit the ground running, literally!

VMO: I agree, working across international time zones is commonplace these days and not a problem. Felix is hugely respected internationally as a race director and having him in this role in Wanaka is fantastic for the event. The whole team will learn from his expertise which can only set the event in good stead for the future.

Felix, how does Challenge Wanaka differ from Challenge Roth?

FW: Well, the obvious difference is the size. Challenge Roth has over 4,000 athletes whereas we’re looking at 400 for Wanaka in 2008. However, Challenge Wanaka has huge growth potential and we hope to see more than 1,000 athletes taking part by 2010. The other is the scenery – Wanaka is one of the most beautiful places I have visited and the race course is spectacular, surrounded by mountains, lakes and rivers. Otherwise, the events are remarkably similar. They are both ironman distance, they are both run by passionate teams and they are both embraced by their communities. I was reallyimpressed by the way Wanaka took ownership of the first event earlier this year. It has received incredible support from local individuals and businesses and I hope this continues for many years to come as the event grows and brings benefit to the region.

Victoria, what does it mean to you to be involved in the event?

VMO: It’s a remarkable opportunity and one my business partner, Kerry Quin, and I are very proud to have earned. We’ve got a fantastic team behind us, the support of the community and a great future ahead in terms of the benefit Challenge Wanaka can bring to the region and New Zealand.

How do you think TEAM Challenge events can contribute to the sport?

VMO: For us, one of our main objectives is to get more people involved in triathlons. The teams’ section of the Challenge events brings ironman distance events within the reach of so many more people and that can only be good for the sport. In the future we hope to follow Roth’s example by introducing a special event for children and we will work closely with Triathlon New Zealand to ensure we are in line with their objectives and goals for the sport.

FW: When we gave the Ironman label back and decided to go independent we were able to introduce relay teams. Many of those ex-teams are now triathletes on the full distance, proving the teams act as a stepping stone to the next level. Not only do TEAMChallenge events benefit the sport but also their host regions. Europe’s biggest research company has stated that over race weekend, athletes, their families and the spectators spend over 10 million Euros in the county of Roth!

Finally, can you both give an example of a defining moment in your careers?

VMO: I was lucky enough to be in Roth early this year and I was overwhelmed by the sheer passion the event conjured up in the hundreds of thousands of spectators, volunteers and athletes. I remember thinking what a wonderful phenomenon it was and how amazing it would be if Wanaka could evoke those same emotions. Little did I know that just a few months later I would be heading the team charged with doing just that!

FW: One defining moment was seeing the last athlete in the race finishing in Pembroke Park at midnight this year at Orca Challenge Wanaka. To see nearly the whole community on the grandstands and on the finish line; seeing children doing the limbo dance with Belinda Granger; seeing the fireworks going off. I had tears in my eyes as I could have never have imagined so many of the Wanaka community coming out to see and support the race in the first year. It was absolutely amazing.