As the host city of the 2014 ETU European Long Distance Triathlon Championships, Almere has a long standing history in the sport of triathlon. Alongside the Challenge Almere-Amsterdam event, Almere will be the host of the ETU European championships for the third time, with a World Championship having already being held once in this Dutch city that is renowned for its dykes and electricity producing windmills.
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam is the third Challenge Family race to host long distance championships, sharing the honour with DATEV Challenge Roth and Challenge Vichy since the partnership between ETU and Challenge Family began in 2012.
The official ETU European Long Distance Triathlon Championships will take place at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam on 13 September 2014. Challenge Almere will also play host to the 2014 Dutch Championships.
Challenge and ETU are also continuing their partnership for the European Middle Distance Championships, which will take place in Mallorca on 18 October 2014.
In Almere-Amsterdam, over 2000 athletes will participate in various races taking place over the course of three days, including Elite and Age Group European championships on Saturday and the finals for the Dutch Eredivisie team competition on Sunday.
Furthermore, the 92nd finisher of the long distance race on Saturday will be hailed as the 15000th finisher of the triathlon in Almere!
Fast racing on flat roads
The race will feature the classic long distances, with a 3.8K swim in the Weerwater in the immediate vicinity of Almere’s Esplanade in the heart of the city. The two-loop 180K bike course is flat and fast, with long straits, emphasizing the Dutch ‘polder’ landscape.
Lots of spectators will await the athletes during the six-lap 42.2K run in and around Almere’s city centre, where the athletes pass a specially built stadium on each of the laps.
Spectator friendly event
Spectators have lots of opportunities to follow the races across the weekend, both live on the course and from their homes. The organisers note that weather forecast predicts excellent conditions for the crowds, so several hotspots will draw enthusiastic spectators.
The Esplanade will be the highlight of festivities, well into the evening as even the last of finishers are welcomed with great applause. Live coverage will be visible on the big screen in the finish line area and on the Challenge Almere-Amsterdam website (www..challenge-almere.com or live.challenge-almere.com).
For those on the road, there is also a newly launched app, containing all sorts of updates and information during race day. The app Challenge Almere-Amsterdam can be downloaded for free via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
