A sell-out field of more than 1,800 athletes from 31 nations will gather in Austria this month on June 27–28, 2026 for the Challenge Kaiserwinkl–Walchsee triathlon. Organised by Challenge Family, and now part of PTO’s event offering, the event weekend has drawn a record number of age-group athletes alongside an elite professional field.
Defending champion Tjebbe Kaindl is set to head the men’s field. Kaindl won his first attempt over the 113km distance at the event during the 2025 season. He faces competition from local favourite Frederic Funk. The German athlete has previously won Challenge Kaiserwinkl–Walchsee three times and recently secured a victory at Challenge St Pölten.
The alpine course features a technical bike leg with significant climbing. According to the organising team, the course does not contain a single flat metre. Other contenders in the men’s race include Fabian Kraft, Tom Vaelen, Dorian Muller, and Thomas Navarro.
In the women’s field, Nina Derron enters as a top favourite with an international ranking of number 41. The Swiss athlete previously secured a second-place finish at Challenge Taiwan and a silver medal at Challenge Lanzarote earlier this year.
Justine Guerard is also in contention, holding an international ranking of number 47. Her performance during the 2026 season includes a fourth-place finish at Anfi Challenge Mogán–Gran Canaria and a seventh-place finish at Challenge Family’s The Championship.
The field also features Milan Agnew, Sara Sandrini, Sarah Schoenfelder, and Johanna Ahrens, who are all ranked within the top 100 internationally. Warm weather conditions are forecast for the event, which may impact the final run leg.
Challenge Kaiserwinkl–Walchsee takes place on Sunday, June 28, 2026. The professional women’s race will start at 08:30 CEST, followed by the professional men’s race at 08:40 CEST. Live updates are available online at challenge-family.live.
