Next Saturday (12th), is Quelle Challenge Roth!
For a potted history, Roth used to be an IM race, but the IM contract was terminated in 2001 and granted to Frankfurt instead. Fortunately Challenge took over the reins and it has remained a success ever since, regardless of losing the IM branding.
After Wanaka, I think Roth would have to be the other long distance race I would have a hankering to do. Not sure what it is about it – certainly the sheer volume of entrants doesn’t appeal (2,800 individuals and 470 teams!). I think it’s the fact it’s the founding Challenge race (seeing as it’s quite obvious by now that I have a soft spot for the Challenge organisation!). I guess it’s what Kona is to Taupo for the IM stalwarts out there.
Anyway, there are a few Kiwis going to be racing next weekend. Representing Neuseeland we have…
- Richard Ussher!!!
- Coach Westy
- Gina Ferguson (3rd last year)
- Merryn Johnston (15th last year)
- Jo Lawn (1st in 2006) (although according to a one liner on her blog, she has pulled out??)
- Shirley Rolston
- Nick Kensington
- Maclean Quentin
- Scott Ramsay
- Grant Baird
- Glenn Russell
- John Smart
- Tim Berkel
Victoria Murray-Orr, the Race Director for Challenge Wanaka, is also competing in a team, but bugger it, I’m not sure of the name.
Grant Baird, Shirley Rolston and John Smart won their entries to Roth by placing at Wanaka this year.
Roth/Germany is ten hours behind us in New Zealand, and the first group (the Pros) starts at 6.20am on the Saturday (or 4.20pm NZT). At this stage, the website doesn’t mention anything about live feeds during the day, but hopefully there’ll be enough updates to keep me happy!
Go hard Paul, and f**k that hill!
That one-liner was 16th June with the promise of the story to come soon. Well golly, the race will be over by the time the “story” is shared by the looks of things.
By: Neets on July 3, 2009
at 2:56 pm
ahhhhhhh cool thanks for that i forgot shirley was going, better give her a mention in the newsletter when i write it tonight.
By: zarnia on July 3, 2009
at 3:57 pm
Hey there – there’s going to be live race coverage all day on the athlete ticker in English as well as German at http://www.challenge-roth.com plus there’ll be video at the swim start and at the finish line until the bitter end. Jo Lawn is definitely out, apparently just concentrating on Kona??
By: Victoria Murray-Orr on July 5, 2009
at 9:49 am
Awesome, thanks Vic! You need to share your team name, or was that a strategic omission from your comment?
By: Rachel Harris on July 5, 2009
at 12:27 pm