Disclaimer: I’m writing this race report well after the event, so my memory might not serve me as well as I hope. The splits are real, the feelings are (mostly) accurate, and the Booking.com panic attack definitely happened.

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Event	Challenge The Championship
Distance	70.3
Date	19.05.2024
Location	Samorin, Slovakia
Bib number	696
Condition	17°C at swim start, rising to 21°C by the run. Partly cloudy early, clearing to full sun. Light winds (SW, 3-8 km/h). Humidity around 61-74%.
Kit Highlights	RaceSkin TriSuit, Specialized Shiv, Quantum Metric cap
Fees	Race: €339 – Photos: £34.05
Representing (club | coach | country)	NL Fitness, Berkshire Tri Squad, and France

Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run
1.9km		90km		21.1km

Goal	Target	Result
70.3 PB	4h40mn	✅ Achieved – 4:38:30
Fast bike leg	Avg 40km/h	❌ Missed — 38.8 km/h avg
Fast half marathon	1h30mn	❌ Missed — 1h35mn

Finish Time	Age Group	Gender	Overall
4:38:30	24		192

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The Championship isn’t your average middle-distance race — it’s a qualifiers-only event. Challenge Family’s flagship, where the best age-group and professional triathletes from around the world earn their right to race. My ticket? A 6th-place finish in my age group at Challenge London. That was enough to secure a slot, and there was no way I was turning it down. If you’re racing the Challenge Family circuit, this is the one you want on your CV.
It’s worth noting that if you fancy racing at the x-bionic® sphere without qualifying, you can enter Challenge Samorin as an open middle-distance event — it just won’t carry The Championship title.

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Where do I start? Let me paint a picture for you. It’s the day before my flight to Austria, and I’m doing a final check on my accommodation. That’s when the panic attack hits. My hotel — booked through Booking.com using a sensible 10km radius filter around the x-bionic® sphere — is in Hungary. Not Slovakia. Hungary.
Turns out, 10km as the crow flies is a very different thing when the Danube sits between you and the race venue. The hotel was technically close, just on the wrong side of one of Europe’s major rivers, in a different country entirely.
So the weekend became a bit of a European road trip. Fly into Austria, then drive across three countries — Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria — each with different motorway rules. And yes, I got a fine in Slovakia. Of course I did.
I flew out on the 17th to give myself a couple of days to acclimatise and relax. Despite the accommodation chaos, registration at the x-bionic® sphere was smooth and easy. The triathlon village is relatively small compared to something like Challenge Roth, but the atmosphere was friendly and buzzing with anticipation.

A week before the race, I did a virtual recon of the bike course on Rouvy — 73.88km of the route on the turbo. It was brilliant seeing it come to life in person on race day, recognising corners and stretches I’d already ridden virtually. Highly recommend it if you’re heading to Šamorín.
The Night Before / Morning Of

The night before was one of the highlights of the weekend. A pasta party with mountains of pasta, drinks, desserts — eat as much as you can in a really welcoming, friendly environment. Exactly what you want the night before a big race.
Race morning was my classic routine: porridge with banana and coffee, three hours before the start. Plus 500ml of electrolytes to top up hydration. Nothing fancy, nothing new — never change what works on race day.

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The swim takes place not in the Danube itself (thankfully), but in a canal running alongside it. Wetsuit-legal, rolling start. The water felt clean and wasn’t too deep, which was reassuring. Entry and exit had a nice beach-like feel to it — no scrambling up muddy banks here.
I felt comfortable in the water and settled into a steady rhythm at around 2:00/100m. The highlight was swimming under the bridge with spectators cheering from above — a really cool moment that gave you a lift mid-swim. Perceived exertion was moderate, which is exactly where you want to be heading into a long day.

Fast and smooth. Nothing much to report here — which is exactly what you want from a transition. Kit on, helmet clipped, out onto the bike.

Sublime. That’s the word I used on Strava and I stand by it. The bike course at The Championship is pancake flat — literally 0m of elevation — and the first section along the Danube is on absolutely perfect tarmac. Pure cycling joy.
The less enjoyable bit? Crossing the Danube. The road surface deteriorated significantly — lots of potholes on what I suspect is a heavily used truck route. You had to keep your wits about you through that section.
After the crossing, the route heads out into the countryside, passing through villages where spectators had come out to cheer. It was a nice touch and kept the spirits up. I averaged 38.8 km/h with an estimated 272W average power — short of my 40 km/h target, but I’ll take it on the day.
Nutrition on the bike was Veloforte gels and electrolytes, taken regularly throughout. I did hit a bit of a dip between 70km and 80km — whether that was fuelling-related or the wind picking up slightly, I’m not entirely sure. But I pushed through it and rolled into T2 feeling decent.

Relatively speedy. On went the beloved On Running Cloudflash shoes (a genuine shame they don’t make these anymore), my Quantum Metric cap, and SunGod sunglasses. Ready to run.

Melting in the sun. That was my Strava title, and it tells you everything you need to know. By the time the run started, conditions had cleared to full sunshine and 21°C — and there was pretty much no shade anywhere on the course.
I felt good to start with, but the temperature and sun caught up with me quickly. The course itself is interesting — a mix of tarmac and sections that turn to grass and trail, almost like running on a horse-racing course. In fact, there’s a horse statue nearby, so I suspect that’s exactly what it is. You hit these grass sections about three times, which breaks up the monotony but also saps the legs a bit.
I had to stop for a loo break too — a couple of minutes wasted there. Nutrition started to unravel a bit as it often does on the run for me, but I grabbed some Coca-Cola and Red Bull from the aid stations. Speaking of Red Bull, they had a truck on the course with a 100m sprint section, which was a fun touch even if your legs are screaming at you.
The crowd support picked up significantly around T2, one of the run’s turning points, with many people cheering. The course is apparently broadcast, too — I gave it a big wave for the cameras. My dad was watching at home… and told me they only showed the pros. Maybe that’s for the best.

Crossing the finish line at The Championship is special. There are stands filled with spectators, loads of noise, and you’re welcomed personally by Jort Vlam — the CEO of Challenge Family himself. Medal around the neck, some snacks, and — finally — shade.
4:38:30. A 70.3 PB. At a qualifiers-only Championship event. I’ll take that all day long.

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Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Finish
0:38:25	4:03	2:15:30	4:49	1:35:45	4:38:30

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After crossing the line, I stayed for a while to recover, soak it all in, and refuel. Spent a good few minutes admiring the medal — as you do. Then headed back to T2, grabbed my phone, and did the obligatory messaging and social media round. Back to the hotel (in Hungary, across the Danube, naturally), and the next day it was the familiar routine: bike back in the box, drive to the airport, and home.

• 70.3 PB — Can’t argue with a personal best at a Championship-level event. The flat course helped, but you still have to execute on the day.
• The bike leg — Despite not hitting the 40 km/h target, averaging 38.8 km/h on a middle-distance bike course felt sublime. The flat terrain and good tarmac (mostly) made for an incredible ride.
• The whole experience — Despite not booking accommodation in the right country, it turned out to be a really pleasant weekend away. The x-bionic® sphere is a fantastic venue, the organisation was flawless, and racing among qualifiers from around the world was special.

• Nutrition strategy — This is still an area I need to work on. The dip on the bike between 70-80km and the run nutrition falling apart suggest I need a more dialled-in fuelling plan.
• Mental toughness — Learning how to get into that red zone and tolerate the pain. When the sun was beating down on the run with no shade, I needed to push harder through the discomfort.
• Swimming — No surprises here. The swim is always an area for improvement. A 38:25 for 1.9km is solid, but there are minutes to be gained with better technique and consistency.

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Organisation	10/10
Course	7/10
Atmosphere / Crowd	7/10
Post-Race Experience	7/10
Value for Money	6/10
Overall	8/10

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Challenge Samorin – The Championship is a race I’d absolutely do again and would recommend to any age grouper chasing a qualification-worthy goal. The organisation is world-class (10/10 doesn’t lie), the bike course is a dream for anyone who loves going fast on flat roads, and the whole experience of racing at the x-bionic® sphere among the best qualifiers in the Challenge Family circuit is something special.
Yes, the run course could do with more shade. Yes, the bike crossing of the Danube is a bit rough. And yes, you should probably double-check which country your hotel is in before you book it. But those are minor details in what was an unforgettable race weekend.
A 70.3 PB at The Championship? I’ll carry that one with pride.
Now, about that Ironman 70.3 World Championship slot… Follow my triathlon journey on Instagram: @oli_le_triathlete

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