Sam Laidlow retains Challenge Roth crown in new course record time

Sam Laidlow delivered a wire-to-wire performance to retain his Challenge Roth title and get the better of arch rival Kristian Blummenfelt.

Other than the out-and-back sections of the marathon, France’s mercurial former Ironman world champion, kept the Norwegian out of sight, if not mind, throughout, opening a gap in the swim, riding clear with a sub 4-hr bike split and then holding strong on the run, despite looking wobbly in the final 10km as fatigue set in.

Laidlow’s winning time of 7:21:04 cut 2min off Magnus Ditlev’s 2024 course-record 7:23:24, with Blummenfelt running through for second-place and home favourite Rico Bogen – after setting a new bike course record (3:54:45) – holding on for the final podium place.

“I’m on top of the world right now,” Laidlow said. “I’m just so thankful to everyone who has put in the effort this year. There has really been a lot of work behind the scenes and even last week I was very close to not racing. You dream of winning the biggest races and breaking records and to be able to do that today was so very special.”

What happened in the swim?

Tactics were at work as the pro men set off for the 3.8km swim in the Danube-Main Canal, with its calm waters and easy navigation.

Five men, including Laidlow, Menno Koolhaas and three Germans – Bogen, Jonas Schomburg and Finn Grosse-Freese – drove the pace at the front, rotating the lead to maintain the maximum pace while giving one another the benefit of the draft.

The intent was to apply pressure and put as much time as possible into major rivals such as the in-form Blummenfelt, plus Ditlev and three-time Ironman world champion Patrick Lange, should either of the latter two be capable of reproducing their previous form in Roth.

It was only the second time that the race had been deemed non-wetsuit, meaning water temperatures had risen too high for wetsuits to be worn. The first time was last year.

Bogen, who recently won the T100 Escape from Alcatraz event, led the group out of the water in 46:56, with Blummenfelt the first of the chasers alongside Germany’s Fred Funk, 3min back. Lange and Ditlev were just over 4min down entering T1.

What happened on the bike?

It wasn’t long before a leading trio of Laidlow, Bogen and Schomburg started putting time into the field over the 180km bike leg.

Laidlow and Schomburg finished one-two in Roth last year, when Schomburg posted the marginally faster bike split of 4:02:48.

But the way they set off, it was clear that Ditlev’s 2023 fastest split of 3:57:45 was under threat.

Behind the front three, Ditlev, Blummenfelt, Koolhaas and Grosse-Freese were looking to limit the damage, with the gap holding steady at around 5min midway through the bike leg.

However, as they approached the closing stages, it was widening once more.

Laidlow and Bogen broke clear of Schomburg and, despite a chaotic second climb of the famous Solarer Berg, where the leading pros struggled to get past age-groupers on the narrow stretch, records tumbled.

Laidlow and Bogen both split an incredible 3:54, with the German’s 3:54:45 just 13 seconds faster to set a new record. Schomburg was almost 7min back by the time he arrived in T2, while Ditlev and Blummenfelt were both more than 12min adrift, leaving the Norwegian with his work cut out if he was going to claim top spot.

What happened on the run?

The start of the marathon saw Laidlow and Bogen running alongside one another, followed by Schomburg, with Ditlev and Blummenfelt also in lockstep, and all running at similar paces. It was already clear that no other athlete was close enough to trouble the podium.

A third of the way through, Laidlow made his move, showing his long distance experience to pull away from the former Ironman 70.3 world champion and by halfway he had extended that advantage to 2mins.

Blummenfelt was slowly making inroads but despite producing a 73min first half-marathon, was still more than 10mins from the lead.

With huge gaps starting to separate the professional fields, the Isle of Man’s Will Draper, who won Challenge Almere in September, had forged his way into the top 10 after a 4:10:31 bike split.

With 10km to go, the race briefly threatened a nail-biting finished.

Laidlow was still clear but evidently suffering and being forced to walk aid stations. Behind him, Bogen was 5min in arrears and also showing the effects of setting the new bike course record.

But the real threat was coming from Blummenfelt, who was on the charge, 8mins back and closing with every step.

Yet despite the Norwegian posting the fastest run split (2:29:33) and being the only pro to break 2:30 for the marathon, Laidlow toughed it out.

His 2:36:53 run gave him a sensational new course record, and to rub it in even more, it even bettered Blummenfelt’s Ironman world-best time from Cozumel in 2021.

Challenge Roth men’s results

1. Sam Laidlow (FRA) – 7:21:04
2. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) – 7:26:24 (+5:20)
3. Rico Bogen (GER) – 7:27:53 (+6:49)
4. Menno Koolhaas (NED) – 7:30:00 (+8:56)
5. Jonas Schomburg (GER) – 7:32:17 (+11:13)
6. Magnus Ditlev (DEN) – 7:34:21 (+13:17)
7. Frederic Funk (GER) – 7:38:14 (+17:10)
8. Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN) – 7:39:32 (+18:28)
9. Patrick Lange (GER) – 7:41:27 (+20:23)
10. Tristan Olij (NED) – 7:43:15 (+22:11)