An intriguing ‘new’ race – and distance – has just been added to the pro calendar with the Barcelona Triathlon getting a new look on October 8th as it becomes Challenge Barcelona Triathlon.
Taking place on Barcelona’s central waterfront, it will offer age-group competitors the traditional Olympic, Sprint and, Super Sprint distances, along with a junior event and aquathlon.
But for professional athletes it will showcase a new ‘Short’ distance featuring a 1.5km swim, 60km bike and 15km run, competing for a 25,000 euros prize purse.
How the ‘Short’ distance was born
That’s relatively close to the PTO Tour events with their 2km / 80km / 18km splits but while they appear to be very deliberately targeted at attracting a range of athletes allied to TV coverage time, there’s a simple additional reason for the 76.5km total distance in Barcelona as Challenge Family CEO Jort Vlam explained:
“Creating a course in the centre of one of the world’s most popular cities is not easy, hence why most long distance events tend to be someway outside the city boundaries.
“However, we saw an opportunity to create a race experience like no other in Barcelona but keeping disruption to the community to a minimum. So, after consultation with the athletes, the Short distance was born, appealing to both short course and long course athletes, promising some thrilling racing.”
Challenge Barcelona Triathlon race director, Eloi Moragues, said: “The agreement between Challenge Family and Barcelona Triathlon is the best option for this sporting event to be more international, with more media and more participants, which will give it the leap in quality.”
And local star triathlete Judith Corachán added: “The city of Barcelona is loved and admired by everyone and being able to enjoy a race like this in the heart of the city is a great attraction. As a Barcelonan triathlete, I am proud to be able to be part of this race and I am sure that it will be a success.”
The swim will take place off the protected Mar Bella Beach with its panoramic views of the entire Barcelona coastline. The fast flat bike course along the oceanfront boulevards allows views of the city’s most iconic buildings while the run heads along the beachfront promenades before finishing in the Passeig Marítim del Bogatell.
Entries for Challenge Barcelona Triathlon will open on Thursday this week.
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