Alanis Siffert edges out Lucy Charles-Barclay in stunning win at Challenge Roth

Alanis Siffert produced a gritty breakthrough performance to topple Lucy Charles-Barclay and clinch a first Challenge Roth title.

The Swiss star took the lead early on the bike leg in Bavaria and didn’t let up, retaining a small margin over the Brit for much of the race before pulling away late on to take the tape in a rip-roaring 8:09:09 – .

Daisy Davies made it two GB athletes on the podium, the Ironman South Africa champion holding pre-race favourite Kat Matthews at bay, and Germany’s Caroline Pohle placed fifth after fading late in the race.

“To be honest, I didn’t think about the win until the last 2km because you never know what can happen,” Siffert said. “i stayed in my race. I was told today before the start: ‘Fly today, just fly.’ And I kept those words in my head. All the people gave me wings and my parents were out on the course.

“I underestimated what I could do. If you’d have told me I could win and do this time, I would have said: No way! I shut down the bike computer because it would have blown my mind.”

What happened in the swim?

Challenge Roth loves to host a record-breaking day, and a contributory factor is typically a wetsuit-legal swim that shaves a few minutes off the 3.8km opener.

But the warm summer weather decreed the water temperature in the Danube-Main Canal had risen too high for neoprene, meaning it was just trisuits and swimskins – a thin additional layer that doesn’t provide much extra buoyancy – for the opening leg.

Charles-Barclay, who won here in 2019, made a late decision to compete in Roth after recovering from her victory at Ironman Lanzarote and led out of the water in her usual solo style.

However, a four-strong group including Pohle, Siffert, Fenella Langridge and Davies was less than 2min adrift, suggesting that, even at such an early stage, it wouldn’t be a lone charge out front for Charles-Barclay.

Entering transition in 50:23, Charles-Barclay was 3½min outside her own swim course record, set in 2018. Matthews, on her Roth debut, was the eighth woman into T1, just over 6min down on the lead, but with her strongest disciplines still to come.

What happened on the bike?

Siffert was the early mover on the bike and took the lead within 30km of the two-lap course, mirroring the start of her performance from last year when she eventually finished third.

Despite Roth being renowned as a rapid course, it still features around 1,500m of climbing, including two ascents of the famous Solarer Berg, the short, sharp hill that, once lined with spectators, creates one of the sport’s most unforgettable atmospheres.

Notably, Siffert was the only leading professional woman not riding a rear disc wheel, instead opting for deep-section rims front and rear.

But it didn’t seem to be doing her any harm, as the 24-year-old held the lead throughout, with Charles-Barclay and Pohle on long distance debut stalking just a minute behind throughout the ride.

Siffert, who had already won two middle distance races in 2026, was first into transition posting a 4:29:19 split. Charles-Barclay and Pohle arrived together, and then Davies, who had ridden much of the 180km solo came in just over 6min down.

At 12min adrift, Matthews had kept the gap steady over the second half of the bike leg to keep a podium spot in her sights.

What happened on the run?

Siffert began the marathon by extending her advantage over Pohle and Charles-Barclay as the Brit took extra time in transition for a complete kit change.

While the Swiss has been an emerging force in long distance triathlon for the past few years winning a stream of lower profile races, the resilience shown at the front here was another step on in her development.

As with the men’s race, as they approached the halfway point on the run, the gaps at the front were stubbornly holding, with even Matthews – billed as the strongest runner in the field – unable to close. Pohle was in third until Davies went past her with just under 10km left to go.

As the women entered the closing stages of the run, it started to become Siffert’s race to lose, with only Charles-Barclay close enough to challenge. There was no stopping the Swiss though, who finished over half-an-hour quicker than on the same course last year.

Challenge Roth women’s final results

1. Alanis Siffert (SUI) 8:09:09
2. Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) 8:16:41 (+7:32)
3. Daisy Davies (GBR) 8:27:19 (+18:10)
4. Kat Matthews (GBR) 8:31:35 (+22:26)
5. Caroline Pohle (GER) 8:32:49 (+23:40)
6. Jeanne Collonge (FRA) 8:52:16 (+43:07)
7. Anna Pabinger (AUT) 8:54:35 (+45:26)
8. Fenella Langridge (GBR) 8:58:42 (+49:33)
9. Chloe Hartnett (AUS) 9:03:28 (+54:19)
10. Jasmine Brown (AUS) 9:09:30 (+1:00:21)

Lead image: Challenge Roth Livestream