The third edition of Ford Challenge Prague in the Czech Republic, for both professional and amateur athletes, is taking place this year on Saturday, July 27.
The event takes place in the surroundings of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ford Challenge Prague, which belongs to the international Challenge Family series, saw a total number of 1500 athletes participating last year.
“This year, we have increased the capacity, so we hope that all interested people can join the race,” said Tomáš Vrzák, the event’s Race Director. “Especially, we see the interest of professionals within Challenge Family series is growing every year.”
Last year, the main Ford Challenge Prague middle distance event was dominated by the Spanish former world champion triathlete Javier Gomez and the Belgian Katrien Vestuyft. Czech triathletes Lukáš Kočař, Petr Soukup and Simona Křivánková finished among the top ten.
This year, a number of pro triathletes are set to compete. Australian Mirinda Carfrae, the triple world champion in IRONMAN, and her husband Tim O’Donnell, have confirmed their participation. “We both love to race in Europe, but we haven’t been to the Czech Republic yet,” said Mirinda Carfrae.
“We are really looking forward to Prague and to the race in its historical centre. Last year, we both managed to win our category in one race and we will try it in Prague as well.”
- The main race Ford Challenge Prague middle distance event consists of 1.9 km of swimming, 90 km of cycling and 21.1 km running;
- The Scott Challengetry-Athlon is designed for ‘athletes who love challenges’ and at the same time prefer shorter distances;
- There are Challenge Prague Relays for team racing; and
- Hervis Challenge Junior, a running competition for children, which will take place on Střelecký Island in the afternoon on Friday, 26th July.
Families with children can look forward to other sports programs during the weekend.
Challenge Prague’s Tomáš Vrzák added, “The most important is the new main race bike route, which we will soon introduce. We believe that this route will be very attractive again, as it will take athletes to interesting parts of the Central Bohemian Region. Another novelty will be the extension of the running route, where triathletes will run only three laps instead of four.”
