The past few months, the team behind CHALLENGEFAMILY THECHAMPIONSHIP has done everything to make this event happen on the original date (May 23), but due to all the COVID19-measures which are still in place and the accompanying travel restrictions which thousands of athletes from all over the world have to deal with, the decision was made to postpone the event to August 29. This decision was made after extensive consultation with all parties involved.

“We regret having to deliver this news, but want to give our athletes the clarity they deserve. Of course, we would have liked to enjoy this flagship event with everyone in May, but unfortunately that appears to be impossible. Not only do we want everyone to be able to travel safely to Samorin, but we also want to ensure safety at our race venue. Therefore, we now come to the difficult decision to move the event to August 29”, said Race Director Melisa Kubalcová.

CHALLENGEFAMILY THECHAMPIONSHIP and its side-events will now be scheduled on the same weekend as The Collins Cup, which also takes place the day before, on August 28, at extraordinary x-bionic®sphere in Šamorín, near Bratislava, Slovakia. This means that the amazing field of age group athletes are in for a truly spectacular weekend of live triathlon racing as they now have the opportunity to witness the best professionals in the sport do battle in a team competition to decide whether team USA, Europe or International dominates.

Dear athletes, we have some important information for DATEV Challenge Roth 2021!
DATEV Challenge Roth will take place… but not in July.
Due to the still dynamic COVID situation we will postpone DATEV Challenge Roth by two months – from 4 July to 5 September 2021.
Athletes can transfer their registration from 4 July to 5 September or, alternatively, move it to next year’s race, which will take place on 3 July 2022, all free of charge.
Cancellation is also possible, in which the athletes receive a refund of their entry fee less a processing fee.
Dear athletes, please stay healthy and strong and let’s believe in our joint dreams. We know that it’s not easy and the postponement of the race might not be in everyone’s favor, but we try to make the very best decision for the sport especially you the athletes.

Unfortunately we had to postpone or cancel a lot of our events. However, we want to keep bringing you events and help you to keep enjoying our beautiful sport. That’s why we created some ‘alternative events’. Please find an overview of the events below. This schedule will be updated continuously.

Event Date More information
CHALLENGEVANSBRO Invitational June 27-28 Click here for more information
Solo CHALLENGEKAISERWINKL-WALCHSEE June 28 – September 6 Click here for more information
CHALLENGEWOMEN virtual run July 4-5 Click here for more information
CHALLENGE@HOME August – October Click here for more information

Unfortunately, as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team of DATEV CHALLENGEROTH had to decide to cancel the 2020 race. (Watch full statement here). A hard decision, but the only right one as the people’s health is the most important thing. However, we deeply regret that we have to miss our flagship event this year. This is very sad news for all the athletes all over the world that have been training for such a long time to do their bucket list race. Also our thoughts are with Alice, Felix and Kathrin, the Walchshoefer family that made it to their life work to organize this race and who founded CHALLENGEFAMILY , and the whole community of Roth. There is no place on earth where so many people are working year round on a voluntary basis to let the Triathlon Dream Factory make dreams come true. But we are very confident that they have a long breath and they will be back stronger next year!

Also we can imagine that you might wonder what this means for our races in May and June. Please know that we are working in constant collaboration with the respective local authorities in every race destination. Together we monitor the situation to find out if we can organize the race on the original date, and if not if we can postpone to an alternative date. As you understand the development of the COVID-19 situation and the measures taken are different from country to country. We do our very best to get clarity for you as soon as possible. The fact is that nobody can predict the future, so we have to follow the official authorities that guide us. The very large scale of the race in Roth and the complexity of organizing this biggest long distance event, made it necessary to decide in this early stage. As soon as other changes in our race calendar appear, you will be informed. Thank you very much for your understanding. Fingers crossed, and stay stafe! #AllAboutTheAthlete

Dear athletes,

On behalf of the entire CHALLENGEFAMILY team around the world, I want to reach out to you, our cherished athletes.

As athletes, we are always working on our physical and mental health and suddenly the world is in a different place. A lot of our fellow athletes are in quarantaine, family members are out of reach, work has to be done from a distance and worst of all, people are getting sick.

The COVID-19 virus has taken over daily news and our daily life.

CHALLENGEFAMILY and our local race organizations are in constant contact with the governmental institutions about the evolving process and the decisions that are being taken worldwide by governments and health organizations. We follow the regulations that are being laid down in each country and act accordingly. It’s very hard, even impossible, to predict anything for a period longer than a few weeks at this moment. Our race calendar is constantly being updated. Most races in the nearby future will be postponed to a later date in the season and we will do our utmost to maintain a strong race calendar.

When a race is postponed, it will be announced on the (social media) channels of the respective race and all registered athletes will receive a personal email to inform them of any changes. In addition, everyone can keep track of the CHALLENGEFAMILY race updates on this page.

I want to thank you for your trust, and for the massive support you have shown to our dedicated race directors, who’re facing incredible hard times. Nobody can predict when the situation will normalise, so all directors have to continue organizing the event and at the same time, prepare alternative plans. We received a massive number of emails and direct messages expressing your understanding and sympathy for this complex puzzle with road-closures, local event calendars, permits, availability of volunteers, participation of vendors etc. Thank you so much for this! On social media we noticed some discussions about the myth that cancelling an event can be a cheap way out for the race director. Of course it isn’t. Ninety percent of all costs are due two to three months prior to an event; most of the products have been ordered, and services have been contracted. Postponing or even cancelling a race is always a worst-case scenario for everyone involved: athletes, the organization team, volunteers and sponsorship partners. So we’re all in this together, seeking the best possible solution for everyone involved, and at the same time accepting the fact, that everyone has to give up a little piece of their personal ideal situation.

Please know, that we are here for you to help organize your race calendar and make sure that you still can have a a great experience at our races in 2020. Please don’t hesitate to contact us, or our local organizations, whenever you have a question or a comment.

For now, please stay safe, strong and healthy and apply the hygienic advice of the official authorities. Look after your loved ones and we look forward to seeing you all again very soon at one of our races!

Best regards on behalf of the board,

Jort Vlam
CEO CHALLENGEFAMILY

Race changes

Races 2021 Original date Status New date Details
CHALLENGELISBOA March 27, 2021 Postponed (2021) September 25, 2021 More information
THECHAMPIONSHIP May 23, 2021 Postponed (2021) August 29, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEGERAARDSBERGEN June 6, 2021 Cancelled More information
CHALLENGEHERNING  June 12, 2021 Postponed (2021) September 11, 2021 More information
DATEV CHALLENGEROTH July 4, 2021 Postponed (2021) September 5, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEVANSBRO July 4, 2021 Cancelled More information
CHALLENGEMOSCOW July 18, 2021 Postponed (2021) August 15, 2021 More information
CHALLENGECAPE TOWN November 7, 2021 Cancelled More information
Races 2020 Original date Status New date Details
CHALLENGEFLORIANOPOLIS short March 22, 2020 Postponed tbc More information
CHALLENGESALOU March 29, 2020 Cancelled (2020) October, 2021 More information
CHALLENGECERRADO April 19, 2020 Cancelled (2020) tbc More information
CHALLENGEMOGAN-GRANCANARIA April 25, 2020 Cancelled (2020) April 24, 2021 More information
CHALLENGETAIWAN April 26, 2020 Postponed November 15, 2020 More information
CHALLENGECANCUN April 26, 2020 Cancelled (2020) May, 2021 More information
CHALLENGERICCIONE May 10, 2020 Cancelled (2020) May 9, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEBLED May 17, 2020 Cancelled (2020) tbc More information
CHALLENGELISBOA May 23, 2020 Postponed September 25, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEST.PÖLTEN May 24, 2020 Cancelled (2020) May 30, 2021 More information
THECHAMPIONSHIP May 31, 2020 Cancelled (2020) August 29, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEGERAARDSBERGEN  June 7, 2020 Cancelled (2020 and 2021) June, 2022 More information (2020)
More information (2021)
CHALLENGEHERNING  June 13, 2020 Cancelled (2020) June 12, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEHEILBRONN June 21, 2020 Cancelled More information
CHALLENGEKAISERWINKL-WALCHSEE June 28, 2020 Cancelled (2020) June 27, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEROTH July 5, 2020 Cancelled (2020) September 5, 2021 More information
CHALLENGETURKU August 2, 2020 Cancelled (2020) August 1, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEALMERE-AMSTERDAM September 12, 2020 Cancelled (2020) September 10&12, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEVIETNAM September 13, 2020 Postponed tbc More information
CHALLENGEANHUI September 20, 2020 Cancelled (2020) tbc More information
CHALLENGEGUNSAN-SAEMANGEUM September 20, 2020 Cancelled (2020) tbc
CHALLENGEBUDVA October 4, 2020 Cancelled (2020) October, 2021 More information
CHALLENGESHEPPARTON October 11, 2020 Cancelled (2020) April 11, 2021 More information
CHALLENGEPEGUERA-MALLORCA October 17, 2020 Cancelled (2020) October 16, 2021 More information
CHALLENGECAPE TOWN November 8, 2020 Cancelled (2020) November, 2021 More information

Is a race not on this list? The race is planned on the original date or didn’t confirm a change (yet).

Full CHALLENGEFAMILY race calendar here