In just weeks, the provincial capital of St. Pölten and the sports region of Lower Austria will once again become a triathlon hotspot. St. Pölten has been established in the scene for 22 years and will send great pictures – scenic and sporting – to the world on the weekend of 23 – 25 May 2025. 2,000 triathletes, from young to old, are expected in St. Pölten and make the city the fittest city of Austria.
St. Pölten | The success story began in 2003 and has since become an integral part of national and international event calendars. As an event for the whole family, the Challenge St. Pölten attracts athletes and their friends and families to the state capital year after year.
One key to success: strong partners from the very beginning. In particular, the long-standing cooperation with the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences contributed significantly to the quality of the event. Early on, St. Pölten relied on video and media presence.
A formative face behind the media development is Claudio Sunk. The St. Pölten native was one of the first students at the University of Applied Sciences in the field of media technology and media management. He was already a presenter at Challenge and from 2007 at the IRONMAN 70.3 St. Pölten and accompanied athletes in their top sporting performances. With the support of the ORF regional studio, the ORF sports editorial team and the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences as well as their students, Sunk consistently pushed ahead with the multimedia development of the event. With success: In 2022, Challenge St. Pölten was the first middle distance triathlon to be broadcast live for four hours on ORF Sport Plus. In 2025, he and his team from “The Streamers” will once again provide a live stream from the sports region of Lower Austria.
Sunk receives important support from a dedicated team of students led by Michael Bock. The students get the chance to work on a live event and be close to the action. Some of them are now self-employed and are contributing their expertise to this year’s TV production.
Michael Bock, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences: “The cooperation between St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences and Challenge St. Pölten is a win-win situation for both sides. The organizer benefits in the form of professional equipment and personnel being made available. The added value for the students of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences is the LIVE character. There are not many opportunities to work as closely to practice as there are at Challenge St. Pölten as part of your studies in the Department of Media & Digital Technologies.”
The fact that triathlon and St. Pölten are a perfect match is shown every year. With the lakes and the Olympic Centre, the city offers ideal infrastructural conditions and Challenge St. Pölten makes a significant contribution to the development of the tourism location. Matthias Stadler, mayor of the city of St. Pölten, will once again give the starting signal at Lake Viehofen on May 25 and is pleased with the organizers about the record starting field of 2,000 triathletes in all ages and performance groups.
Matthias Stadler, Mayor of the City of St. Pölten: “Our most valuable asset is health, which must be promoted in the best possible way. Exercise makes an invaluable contribution to this, which is why I am deeply proud that this inspiring sporting event is taking place here and underlining our position as a sports city.”
But the potential extends far beyond the city limits: The event has already been awarded several times internationally as the best triathlon and as the one with the most beautiful bike course. The city wants to use this capital even more specifically in the future. Details will be announced at a press conference on May 8.
The multi-award-winning cycle route leads through the Wachau World Heritage Site, among other places. The joy of being able to use this route again is particularly great this year: On June 3, 2024 – less than a week after Challenge St. Pölten – there was a serious rockslide in the Wachau. The work took almost a year and has now been completed in time for Challenge St. Pölten – a milestone for the event and the entire sports region of Lower Austria.
Deputy Sports Minister Udo Landbauer: “The triathlon in St. Pölten has been a sporting flagship for over 20 years and shows with its unique backdrop how diverse our sports region of Lower Austria is. This event stands for quality and professionalism and thus provides the best advertising for the region and the entire state every year. With our numerous events, we strengthen the regional economy and create enthusiasm for sport, especially among children and young people.”
Martin Gabler, Head of Regional Directorate South: “Both top-class and popular sport have a very high priority at Niederösterreichische Versicherung; therefore, we also support numerous projects from both areas. For us, Challenge in St. Pölten is a prime example of how, through personal commitment and exemplary organization, it has been possible over the years to successfully establish an event of the international top class in Lower Austria. With so much commitment to sport in Lower Austria, we are of course very happy to be part of it as a partner.”
In holding the event, the organizers have also been able to rely on a good cooperation with the Austrian Triathlon Federation for many years.
Herwig Grabner, Secretary General of ÖTRV: “Challenge St. Pölten stands for high-class triathlon sport, lived sustainability and a strong cooperation between popular and top-class sport. Since the first competitions in St. Pölten, there has been a close and very constructive cooperation with the organizing team. Together with our competition judges, we are allowed to contribute to the fact that Challenge St. Pölten takes place under fair and safe conditions – a basic prerequisite for top sporting performances. Challenge St. Pölten is therefore undoubtedly one of the flagship events in the Austrian triathlon calendar.”
This year’s race weekend
The Challenge weekend offers numerous highlights. The first starting signal will be given with the NÖ BAUHAUS Company & Fun Triathlon on Friday: the stage for all those who want to try triathlon, for those who feel at home on the short distance, and for those who want to bring variety into everyday office life. In a team or alone with 250m swimming, 16km cycling and 3km running.
The VOLKSBANK Junior Challenge continues on Saturday. Triathlon youngsters from five to 17 years old start in an Aquathlon over age-appropriate distances. Fun in movement and joy in competition are the top priorities.
Gene. Dr. Rainer Kuhnle, Chairman of the Board of Volksbank Niederösterreich: “As a regional bank with cooperative roots, the well-being of the people in the region is at the centre of our daily activities, and this of course also applies to the youngest members of our society. It is therefore important to us to support projects and events where the joy of exercise, sport and health are promoted. For this reason, we are pleased to be a partner in this year’s Challenge St. Pölten.”
The big showdown will take place on Sunday in the middle distance. In addition to 1600 age group athletes, an exciting pro race is also expected this year. From an Austrian point of view, Michael Weiss and Martin Demuth will be at the start, among others. It comes to the Lower Austrian duel. While Weiss is competing in St. Pölten for the twelfth time, it is Demuth’s first start on home soil. He switched from the short distance to the middle distance in 2024 and wants to show strongly. In the women’s event, Tanja Stroschneider from Vienna will be appearing in St. Pölten for the first time after switching to the middle distance last year. A fast and exciting race is to be expected, as numerous athletes from the Olympic distance will be at the start this year. Further details on the professional starting field will be available at the press conference on 23 May.
The Bestzeit team is very positive and looking forward to this year’s event. After a few challenging years due to the pandemic, the event has seen a significant increase in registrations again this year.
Petra Schwarz, Bestzeit Sport & Events: ‘To be able to stand here today and announce that we are expecting a record number of starters means a lot to us and we owe this to the support of numerous long-standing partners. Many of them have been with us from the very beginning and provide financial and personnel support. An event of this size would not be possible without strong partners, who are constantly being joined by new ones, and over 1,300 volunteers. We are particularly proud of this commitment.’
Valentin Neuhauser is taking on a different challenge: the St. Pölten native has set himself the goal of completing a triathlon over the middle distance every day from 1 May to 31 May. He is hoping for a lot of support and wants to motivate others to get moving. The goal: a collective circumnavigation of the world. Sporting activities in and around St. Pölten can be entered on the website throughout the month. The only requirement: the start and finish arch at Lake Viehofner See must be passed as part of the activity.
Valentin Neuhauser: ‘With the Challenge in May, I am challenging myself and want to inspire others for sport. Goal: A triathlon half distance every day – and circumnavigate the world together.’
