With Saturday’s Junior Challenge, Sprint Distance, Challenge4All and Sunday’s Middle Distance as the main events, Finland will be hosting CHALLENGETURKU this weekend. The race has no pro-athletes at the start due to COVID travel restrictions, but promises to be no less a spectacle.
Age groupers can compete for a ticket to CHALLENGEFAMILY THECHAMPIONSHIP in Samorin, Slovakia. For all athletes this is the last chance to qualify this season for this flagship event as CHALLENGETURKU is the last qualification event.
CHALLENGETURKU offers athletes a great combination of beautiful scenery but also the vibrant life of Turku itself. The swim course takes place in the river that runs right through the Finnish city, giving spectators the opportunity to follow the entire 1900 meters swim from the riverbanks. Just steps away from hotels, stores and restaurants, spectators have more than enough to enjoy besides the race. Meanwhile, athletes enjoy several beautiful ships they swim past; not for nothing is the swim described as a ‘tour in an open-air museum’.
On the bike, athletes not only pass through the city centre, but also seek out the surrounding scenery. A section of the course runs along a freeway and CHALLENGETURKU is considered one of the fastest races. Personal records are regularly broken here.
During the run there is an extra ‘party’ for all athletes: along the river and through the centre, where the run course is located, spectators are always out there, cheering loud and enthusiastic for all participants.
You can find the CHALLENGETURKU event schedule here: https://challenge-turku.com/race-information/time-schedule/