The phrase most of us kept saying after Challenge Roth was – we need to have some time to process what just happened.

Sam Laidlow, went the fastest time in the world over the long distance finishing in 7:21:04. Alanis Siffert won the women’s race, taking a huge 30 minutes off her time from last year as well as a near-15 minute PB on the marathon, and beating some of the biggest names in the sport. 

It wasn’t just these wins and times, but the whole day and week, that left most of us needing to take a moment. 

This race just somehow gets bigger and better each year. Every time we think there is no way they can top the year before, but somehow Felix, his sister Kathrin and the team, manage it! 

With heat waves in Europe for most of the last couple of weeks, resulting in events across the continent cancelled or shortened, the weather dropped enough in Roth, to make it almost perfect all week. The only thing was the water temperature in the canal which was 27C early in the week and only dropped to 25C, resulting in once again a non-wetsuit swim for Professionals and Age Groupers alike. 

Race day also had winds gusting up to 40-50kmph, making it at times tough for the athletes. And yet for the Professionals, with a non wetsuit swim and not perfect conditions on the bike, we saw on the men’s side the bike course record smashed and the fastest time in the world over the full distance. It was quite insane! 

Women’s race

All the talk in the months leading in was Laura Philipp versus Kat Matthews, and if eight hours would be broken. With Philipp pulling out of the race a couple of weeks before, it was looking like Matthews was the solo favourite. Then, enter Lucy Charles-Barclay (LCB), who just one week before the race sent a video message to Felix Walchshöfer asking if there was a chance she could race. Roth is unlike IRONMAN in this way, in that there is no entry cut off or deadline for the Professionals. Therefore, the chatter mostly became about Kat Matthews v Lucy Charles-Barclay, and then the battle between the rest of the Pros for the third podium spot. 

I think I was quite surprised when LCB only had a minute and 36 seconds lead over the chasers out of the water. I’d expected this gap to be bigger, and whilst Lucy (at the time) got the thumbs up from her husband Reece during the swim, saying all was good, I think perhaps in hindsight she wonders if she was ‘chilling’ more than she thought. (With the swim in Roth being in a canal, it allows for spectators, and coaches to walk along the banks as the swimmers go up and down the course.) It also didn’t help that LCB then lost a few more seconds, forgetting to put her helmet on before grabbing her bike to run out of T1. So, she had to back up to put the bike back in the rack, helmet on, then go again. You see even the most Professional and best in the world make rookie errors. 

Riding on feel

There was some strong biking power in this chase pack – Caroline Pohle (although it was her first full distance race), Siffert (third in Roth 2025, and who rode the whole bike course holding aero), Fenella Langridge (racing Roth for the fourth time), and Daisy Davies (two wins from her two full distance races so far in her career). 

The next surprise for me was that it took just 30km for the chase group to catch up to LCB on the bike, and just another 20km before Siffert would break off the front of the group. Siffert’s races this year have shown how strong she is on the bike, but this was bold, leading the race after just 50km on the bike. 

I don’t think anyone then thought Siffert would then hold off the likes of LCB and Matthews on the run. Her previous marathon best had been 2:57 at Challenge Almere in 2024, with her more recent full distance races being 3hours +. To then take 12 minutes off that 2024 time, to run 2:45:00 and off a hard solo bike, I’m not sure any of us expected that. 

Siffert told me herself that she turned off her bike computer so that she couldn’t see the power numbers and just went on feel and racing, and the same on the run, not looking at her watch – but just feeling good and strong and going for it. 

At just 24-years-old, she is still so young in the sport, and to put out a performance like that is certainly impressive. But whilst young, I feel her mindset and the way she talks about racing and her approach, is so mature and also refreshing, as she is someone that is always smiling, and playing to the crowd, hyping them up as she runs through transition or on the bike and run. Or as she ran the last 1km or so on the run in Roth, when I think she finally let herself think, that she’d won. She talks about using this energy from the crowd to carry her forward, and in Roth, to let her ‘fly’ around the course. Third in Roth in 2025, and now with her first win there and the biggest win of her career to date, and already after the race she was asking what the female record is for the most number of wins! That record is in fact held by Paula Newby-Fraser (who won eight times in Kona). If in relation to Roth (which makes more sense), PNF won three times in Roth, but so too did Chrissie Wellington, Yvonne Van Vlerken, Daniella Ryf and Anne Haug. So regardless, if Siffert wins twice more her name is among some of the greatest in our sport. It would seem that she has the ability to have many wins across the board. Interestingly Siffert is the same age as when Magnus Ditlev had his first win. 

I spoke to Siffert pre race, as I had noticed that this year 2026, she hadn’t raced as much as in 2025. Siffert is coached by Brett Sutton who has a reputation for his athletes racing a lot, but this year whilst she still has done several races, it’s been significantly less. In fact chatting to her Mum (also a very accomplished ultra trail runner (think 100km plus), I found that the drive to race a lot last year actually came from Alanis, and that this year the conscious decision to race a little less, the advice from her coach the year before! I can’t help thinking this was a key factor in her performance. She said herself, she’s been able to get some really consistent training in, and have the ability to focus more on this race. What’s also interesting is that as yet, Siffert has no interest in racing Kona, at least not this year, or at least not at time of talking post race. 

Waiting game for Kat

LCB was as gracious as ever post race. She came here to win and wouldn’t have entered last minute I don’t think, unless she felt she had a good chance. I think for her, it was a good data gathering exercise (including perhaps the complete kit change she did in T2, the first we’ve seen in a long time in a Pro race – Kona?), and will make her extremely dangerous for Kona in October.

The other person I think who will be more dangerous for Kona now, is Kat Matthews. Fourth is Kat’s lowest result in a race since November 2024. Since then in the nine races she’s finished she’s only ever come first or second! It wasn’t Kat’s day, for some reason, as it is with racing, things just didn’t fire. It was no secret Kat came here to win. For sure many pros of course do, but I have respect for how Kat is not ashamed to state it, but also not in an arrogant way. She has confidence in her ability and what she’s capable of, and she doesn’t shy away from it. For Kat’s whilst she’s still relatively young in the sport – when LCB won at Challenge Roth in 2019, Kat hadn’t even done a full distance race – she’s achieved so much. However, that big win at World Championship level, and at Roth as the other biggest race in the sport, still eludes her. She’s had five second places at the IRONMAN World Championships and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, and now fourth in Roth. That win and World title I’m sure will come, and when it does, I think the whole triathlon world (and of course Kat) will be so happy. In some ways it reminds me of LCB who was second four time in Kona, before finally getting the win. 

Another star on the rise is Daisy Davies. Coming up from short course racing and the British Triathlon Programme, and also a few XTERRA events, Daisy was two from two for her long distance wins. However, racing here in Roth, was a step up in level of competition. She finished third, having raced solid all day. Daisy just quietly but confidently goes about her business, and like Siffert is only 24years old! She loves to race, and loves the hurt, and I think we are going to see a lot more from her over the coming years. 

Men’s race

Where to start. Sam Laidlow crossed the line in 7:21:04 not just taking the win, not just defending his title from 2025, not just smashing the course record, but also posting the fastest time in the world, ever for a full distance. That’s with a non wetsuit swim, and less than ideal conditions on the bike with the winds. Which is, also, why it makes Rico Bogen’s new bike course record of 3:54:45 (with Sam just behind), taking three minutes of the previous record by Magnus Ditlev – ridiculously impressive!

It was no secret that the three Canyon boys – Laidlow, Bogen and Jonas Schomburg, (all who are also the fastest swimmers), were going to hit it hard on the bike to ensure there was a gap to Kristian Blummenfelt by T2. However, I’m not sure anyone expected them to go that hard. For starters, Bogen is a complete rookie, not just to Roth but to the full distance, so whilst he’s a fantastic cyclist and experienced racer, he has no experience over 180km. 

Game faces

I was on Solarer Berg as these leading men flew up at speed, hardly acknowledging the fact that it’s a ‘hill’. Looking at their faces it was definitely all business, with eyes locked and concentration and the effort showing, not seeming to enjoy or acknowledge the crowd and unique experience. It is racing after all with a lot on the line, but it’s also so hard not to break a smile as you get carried up by the crowd. Chatting afterwards to both Blummenfelt and Bogen, they did both speak about how crazy that experience was.

Additionally, Bogen and Laidlow were riding so hard that they even dropped Schomburg with 50km to go, and put seven minutes into him by T2! By the time Blummenfelt entered T2 he was 12minutes down! It would be a tall but not impossible ask. Speaking to Kristian after the race, he said he started running fast at the pace he wanted but after maybe 10km or so, and knowing the gap wasn’t coming down as he needed, he still pushed but realised him winning would be more dependent on what the others did (e.g would they blow up and falter). With just 7-8km to go, it looked like Laidlow may indeed be faltering, slowing to a walk through an aid station, and not looking in great shape. But amazingly he was able to rally and not lose too much time or overall speed and held it together to the finish. 

Fuel to the fire

Whilst Laidlow has sent a message loud and clear to the Norwegian trio (and the rest of the world) for later in the year, this win I feel will only make Blummenfelt even more fired up and dangerous. Not only revenge on Laidlow, but also his two training partners, Gustav and Iden. 

It was an impressive performance by Bogen, in third. In his first full distance, he was not afraid to race to his strengths and share the work both on the swim and the bike. His first marathon, 2:43.48 was not too shabby either. Bogen who we should remember won the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships back in 2023, in Lahti, Finland, has been a leading figure in the T100 series. I don’t think, from talking with him, it’s an immediate move up to the longer distance, and I’m not sure there is another full distance planned for this year (currently), but it does bode well for his career in the future as he takes on more full distance, which I also hope he does. 

Much like Kat Matthews, I fear that Sam’s win, and the record, will only fuel the fire for Blummenfelt and Kona. I always think the person who gets beat, (several months out) and perhaps as a surprise is the dangerous one, as it can serve as a wake up or reality check, and they double down with even more drive and determination, but also the respect and reality that it isn’t going to be straightforward. Not that I think Kat or Kristian think that, (that “it would be straightforward”), but I just think it drives them to another level. Bring on the World Championships. 

Bigger and better!

Challenge Roth delivered once again and so much more! The athletes and the race, and the whole event and experience is just next level. I can harp on about it, (and I know I do), but you don’t really get it fully I don’t think, until you come and experience it yourself. And whilst I know it’s incredible hard to get into (the line for athletes wanting to register, the day after the race, went for 1.7km with people lining up and camping overnight for their spot!), I fully believe everyone should do this race at least once in their life. Perhaps if you can’t get a slot the first time, just come to watch and soak in the biggest expo in the triathlon world, the stadium and finish line party, the incredible hot spots of fans around the course, lining the streets, partying and cheering every single athlete on. The iconic start at the canal, with the bridge and banks absolutely packed and the hot air balloons that lift off from the field, with the little church, to the iconic parts of the course, and the unique stadium finish. I’ve heard plans are already in place for a new stadium in 2027! Bigger and better!! 

See you in 2027!