A new triathlon event in the Challenge World Series will next year take place in Fuerteventura, one of the sunny Canary Islands off the coast of Spain.
This brings the total of global Challenge races on offer to nine. Race organisers from Spain and Germany announced the move yesterday at the press conference for the flagship race in the series, Challenge Roth.
The premiere of the Playitas Challenge Fuerteventura half-distance race will be on 1 May 2011, in southern Fuerteventura. The primary sponsor and joint race organiser will be the Playitas Sports Resort, which has earned a strong reputation among endurance athletes for the various training camps offered there, and is also well-known for its sponsorship of the Saxo Bank professional cycling team.
Athletes can look forward to an unusual competition in the southern part of Fuerteventura, with a course that reflects the island’s rugged beauty. After the swim on a circuit in the Atlantic, the demanding bike leg includes several inclines and leads through the beautiful communities of Tuineje and Pajara.
The final half-marathon will be the highlight of the half Challenge: after a five-kilometre asphalt lap and two laps of a golf course, the run will take the athletes to a lighthouse with a spectacular view of the sea. The run course is already seen as very challenging and will demand a great deal from competitors, so the race in Fuerteventura will certainly not be among the Challenge series’ easiest events!
The course’s toughness will reflect what is commonly said in Fuerteventura: “Eres fuerte para Fuerte?” (“Are you strong enough for Fuerteventura?”)
TEAMCHALLENGE GmbH CEO Felix Walchsh
