Challenge Almere Triathlon, Amsterdam
The Almere course is the world’s only long distance triathlon course located below sea level on reclaimed land at the bottom of what was once the Zuiderzee (South Sea), just 25km from the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. Still surrounded by water, the course features the typical Dutch landscapes renowned the world over – dikes, windmills, tulip fields and endless straight, fast roads where the battle is between you and the elements.Almere’s long history of triathlon includes hosting four European Championships (1985, 1991, 1999, 2006) and two World Championships (2003 and 2008) with the race record held by Jan van der Marel with a time of 7:57:46.
The Challenge Almere-Amsterdam starts with two swim laps of 1.9 kilometers in the Weerwater. The bike course of the Challenge Almere-Amsterdam exists of two laps of 90 kilometers. The running course consists of four laps, 10.5k per lap, which have to be conquered before finishing on the Esplanade.
Joe Cawley put in a magnificent performance to finish in 56th place, from almost 600 athletes, in a brilliant time of 10hrs 24mins. More details to follow.