Since it started in 2017 Challenge Family’s The Championship, held at the x-bionic sphere in Šamorín Slovakia has been establishing itself as one of the most prestigious races in the middle-distance triathlon calendar. As more short course athletes step up to this distance, the times are getting faster and the racing gets closer and closer. Long gone are the days of a long bike breakaway and a solo run. Every second is now starting to count and athletes are investing more in their equipment, aerodynamics and the “marginal gains”.
The race itself is renowned for being flat and fast, with the wind playing a key factor on the bike. Group dynamics are extremely important in this race and if you find yourself riding alone it can be game over fast for an athlete. The run albeit flat has its challenges with mixed terrain and a multi lap format with plenty of twists and turns. The Championship tends to reward the stronger runners and leads to some very close battles! So who could take the crown in 2025?
A flashback to 2024
Before I dive into who I think the ones to watch are for 2025, let’s first have a quick reminder of how things played out in 2024. It was a course record breaking year, with Kyle Smith crossing the line in 3:27:10 followed by Frederik Funk in 3:29:24 – the German athlete improving on his 2023 third place finish.
Capping off the podium was Kristian Hogenhaug in 3:29:56. It was an incredible performance from Smith who made up a 1:28 deficit off the bike to lead the race after only a couple of laps of the run. 2024 showed that although this race favours the strong uber bikers, you must back it up on the run if you want to take that top spot! The race can also reward the patient who play their cards right and wait for to close it out over 21kms.
Key contenders for 2025
The start list is looking nicely stacked for the PRO men lining up to battle it out at this year’s edition of The Championship, with plenty of athletes who could contend for the podium. But for me, there are three key players who could contend for the win.
Fred Funk
First up is Germany’s Fred Funk, who lines up as part of his preparation for his debut over the 140.6 distance at Challenge Roth later this year. Over the middle distance, Funk is one of the most consistent athletes going with 9 wins over the 70.3 miles.
The Championship 2025 will be Funk’s 7th appearance in Šamorín. He’s finished 3rd and 2nd here, and it seems like he’s leaving no stone unturned in his campaign to finally take the win. He’s just been up in Sierra Nevada training at altitude and will no doubt push the pace on the bike once again. The question will be if he can create a big enough gap onto the run to shut the door on some of the faster runners!
Kristian Hogenhaug
Hogenhaug is another athlete known for cycling prowess. He placed 3rd last year and was heavily involved in pushing the bike pace with Funk. He is coming off a disappointing IRONMAN Texas result, so he will be wanting to prove his form and get a result to get the 2025 season moving. It will be hard to keep Funk away on the bike so that will be an interesting battle!
Justus Nieschlag
Justus Nieschlag is a solid all-round athlete coming from the short course ranks. Having placed 5th at the 70.3 World championships in December he is certainly cracking the code of how to master this distance! He is likely to be one of the front men out of the water so if he can hold on during the bike he might have a shot – watch him closely.
Ones to watch
Key contenders aside, there are a few athletes who could certainly shake things up this weekend. You only need to go and look at some recent Challenge races and results to see some names stepping up! Here’s who I will be keeping my eye on…
Kieran Lindars
A breakthrough year last year saw Lindars finish 8th at the IRONMAN World Championships and 2nd at the European IRONMAN Championships. He seems to be an athlete who knows how to perform on the highest stage and is getting faster every season. A 3rd place finish at Challenge Sir Bani Yas was a great start to his season. However, it may be that the full Ironman distance suits him more, and having more time to come through on the run compared to the fast and frantic middle distance…!
Richard Varga
I don’t necessarily think Varga is going to be in with a shout for the podium. But this will be Richard’s final professional race, and on home turf too – so that could give him some extra fire power. A key figure in the short course scene for many years, with his incredible swim and a famous training partner of the Brownlees. With the home advantage and nothing to lose it would be great to see Richard really go for it on the swim and the bike and see what he can do! Sadly, friend and training partner Jonny Brownlee won’t be joining Varga on the start line for his last dance after all due to last minute illness.
My predictions
I’m going to go a bit boring and unsurprising but I hope to be surprised by 3rd place!
- Frederik Funk
- Kristian Hogenhaug
- Justus Nieschlag
The Championship 2025 takes place on Sunday 18 May from 8.30am local time. Check out our full race preview to find out how to watch LIVE with expert commentary from tri legend Belinda Granger.
