Challenge Roth 2025: Triathlon star Joe Skipper comes back from the brink for another shot at iconic race

The last few years have not always been easy for Joe Skipper. A bronze medallist at the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in 2015, Skipper’s career took off when he managed 10 middle or long-distance wins over the next eight years.

But he has hasn’t won a triathlon event since he triumphed at IRONMAN Lake Placid in July of 2023, and didn’t manage a single podium in 2024.

Now, he’s looking to put all that behind him by taking another shot at Challenge Roth, where he’s finished in the top five on four separate occasions.

“Pretty frustrating”

‘Not Another Average Joe’ posted on his Instagram: “I would say I’m going into this race in decent fitness but just need to execute on the day which I have struggled to do over the last two years.

“It’s been pretty frustrating going into races in what feels like decent form but then underperforming or not feeling yourself on race day.

“I would be lying if I said it hasn’t made me question myself, ask myself questions like will I ever win another race, have I got what it takes anymore! It’s been a difficult time.”

Skipper admitted in March that he even considered quitting the sport last year, when injuries played a part, and forced him out of the water completely over the winter.

While his 2025 actually started with a promising second-placed finish at IRONMAN New Zealand, he followed that up with a DNF at IRONMAN Austria in June.

But the 37-year-old is back on his feet now, training hard, and feels he could be about to turn a corner as he looks to get his career back on track.

“Bad times don’t last”

He said: “If anyone reading this has been through tough times whether that be in sport or in life in general just know you aren’t alone, we all go through tough times in life and the bad times don’t last, the sun always rises.

“As Rocky said: ‘It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward’.

“A result for me on Sunday will be feeling decent on race day and executing my best result, if i can do this i think i will be competitive!”