Rachel Joyce has won Challenge Roth in 8:45:04 ahead of Germany’s Sonja Tajsich and last year’s second place finisher Julia Gajer.
The Brit also won the title of Official ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Champion. Joyce dominated the race from the beginning. She was the second woman out of the water, took the lead during the first kilometers on the bike and defended it all the way to the finish line.
The result sees Joyce lay down a marker for Ironman World Championships, having finished 6th, 5th and 4th in Kona for the past three seasons.
In the men’s race, South Africa’s James Cunnama won in 7:59:59 ahead of Germany’s Timo Bracht who secured the title of ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Champion. Third place went to Mike Aigroz from Switzerland, while another top Brit performance saw Stephen Bayliss finish fifth behind Cameron Brown from New Zealand.
Cunnama already explained during the press conference on Thursday that he had unfinished business in Roth after he DNFed last year. “This is an iconic race, you hear about it, you dream about it. You read the names of the big ones that win and now I’m standing here. I am extremely happy!”
For more from Rachel Joyce, see ‘Train like an Elite’ in the current issue of 220.
Images: Getty
