Challenge Almere-Amsterdam is once again the host of the European Long Distance Triathlon Championship in 2025. The action kicks off on Saturday 13 September, with a strong PRO field set to line up – including 2023 champion Els Visser, hometown hero Tristan Olij and long distance debutant Will Draper – fresh off a dominant performance at Challenge Samarkand.
Expect fast and furious racing – this below sea-level race course sets the perfect stage for the athletes to lock in and drop some serious watts – as PROs and age-groupers alike battle it out for European titles and course record kudos. Read on for everything you need to know. From who’s racing and how to follow live, to the must-know tips for age-groupers.
Start time and how to watch
Things get underway at 7.10am local time (6.10am UK / 1.10am EDT / 10.10pm Friday 12th PT). The PRO women are off first – giving the front pack females the opportunity to really make the most of this ultra-fast race course without having to worry about getting tangled up in the back of the male pro race. Kudos to Challenge Family for that! The PRO men set off 15 minutes later at 7.25am local time. Age-group racing kicks off from 7.30am onwards, and para athletes start at 7.47am.
You’ll be able to stream the race live at https://live.challenge-family.com/ – we’ll embed the feed below when it’s available, too.
PRO women: start list and pre-race predictions
2023 champion Els Visser is likely to be one of the strongest contenders for the win in Almere this year. Visser is exceptionally strong on the bike, so with the home advantage and a course that best suits athletes who can get aero and push the power. Expect to see her quite quickly making her way through the field after the swim.
Visser’s main competition is likely to come from two long distance debutants. Marta Lagownik and Daisy Davies. Lagownik might be new to the full 140.6 mile distance, but she’s got some long course experience. She finished 2nd at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships (~2/3rd of a full distance) earlier this year. She’s had two wins over the half distance this year, and recently put together two weekends back to back of solid racing with a 5th place finish at Challenge Samarkand and 9th at IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See.
British athlete Daisy Davies is certainly one to watch, too. Her 2nd place finish at Challenge The Championship proves she can perform when the pressure is on, and her recent 5th place finish in Zell am See shows she’s in top form coming into Almere.
The question is, will the PRO women be able to bring down Marlene de Boer’s 2024 course record? The Dutch athlete obliterated the previous course record by almost 10 minutes with an 8:22:30 last year. Ultimately it’ll come down to the race dynamics – and the weather conditions. If those notorious Dutch headwinds blow, this year’s line-up could have their work cut out.
Full PRO women’s start list
- Marta Lagownik
- Simona Krivankova
- Dieuwertje Bax
- Heleen Moes
- Els Visser
- Gabriele María Obmann
- Vanessa Pereira
- Tiina Pohjalainen
- Daisy Davies
- Maaike Vooren
- Antonia Milowsky
- Dieske Kruisselbrink
- Margrit Elfers
- Line Bonde
- Kristin Liepold
Pro men: start list and ones to watch
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam is a home race for Tristan Olij. And while he perhaps hasn’t had the best season this year, 2 DNFs and a 12th place finish in Roth. Olij has stated a bold ambition to not only win the race, but to take the course record in the process – currently held by Menno Koolhaas, who posted a 7:36:36, 2023. But the likes of Ognjen Stojanovic, Robert Kallin, and Will Draper might have something to say about that.
Stojanovic has surely got a score to settle after coming home with the chocolate medal last year (he finished 4th). He’s had 4 podiums already this year, including 3rd at Challenge Samarkand last month so he’s in good shape. And as one of the more experienced athletes over the long distance, if he’s feeling good he could take control of the race and go for the win.
Keep an eye out for Robert Kallinn on the bike course – currently ranked 13th in the world for his bike legs, he may well shoot for Andrew Starykowicz’s 2023 bike course record. If he sets a punishing pace out of T1, that could have a big impact on the overall race dynamics.
It’s been a breakthrough year for young gun Will Draper. Not only has the Brit had multiple wins and podium finishes, including a dominant win at Challenge Samarkand. His performances have also got him noticed by the PTO, with two wildcard call-ups and counting. With Draper’s cycling background (hear more about his journey into the sport here) he should have no trouble keeping up with the front of the race on the bike. If he can pace it smart and leave himself with enough matches to burn on the marathon, a podium finish or even the overall win on his long distance debut certainly wouldn’t be out of the question!
Full PRO men’s start list
- Ognjen Stojanovic
- Milan Brons
- Pim Van Diemen
- William Draper
- Lukas Kocar
- Piotr Lawicki
- Mikel Ugarte Ramos
- Tomas Renc
- Petr Civela
- Thomas McManners
- Tomasz Szala
- Marijn Markusse
- Christoph Mattner
- Matthias Türk
- Sebastian Norberg
- Robert Kallin
- William Grace
- Tristan Olij
- Wojciech Kopyciński
- Corentin Chouvelon
- Julen Diez Rodriguez
- Mathieu Merland
- Brecht Van Vooren
- Romain Rezsohazy
- Adam Lennell
- Olaf Van Den Bergh
- Pascal Tischler
- Pascal Franken
- David Rother
- Jesse Van Hulst
- Levente Berekméri
- Jan Höing
- Rastislav Srnanek
Local hero set to complete his 35th finish in Almere
If you caught our race guide video from 2024, you might remember Chris Buijtenhuijs. If not, you can watch it further down this page! We spoke to the age-group legend and local hero before the race last year, and followed his race day journey as he made his way to the finish line for the 34th time. And he’s back in action for 2025, set to complete his 35th edition of the full distance race at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam. An incredible achievement!
Chris will be joined by over 3000 other amateur athletes, competing over the long and middle distances alongside a whole host of side events including family relays and a kids run.
TRI247’s Challenge Almere-Amsterdam race guide and age-group tips
We headed out to the race last year to bring you our ultimate guide to Challenge Almere-Amsterdam. Watch below to get the inside track on the pre-race logistics, tips for taking on the course and to get inspired as you watch our race movie and follow four age-groupers on their journey to the finish line (spoiler alert: they all smashed it!)
You can get even more details in our dedicated Let’s Race… Challenge Almere-Amsterdam article.
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