Champions, Olympians and Roth legends: The most exciting race is on the horizon!

March 11, 2025

World champions, Roth winners, Olympians, European champions, local heroes, Paralympics winners - they'll all be there in Roth! Never before has there been such a diverse field in the long-distance triathlon. DATEV Challenge Roth 2025 once again has the potential to become a historic race. The outcome on 6 July? Only time will tell!

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – ROTH. World champions, Roth winners, Olympians, European champions, local heroes, Paralympics winners – they’ll all be there in Roth! Never before has there been such a diverse field in the long-distance triathlon. DATEV Challenge Roth 2025 once again has the potential to become a historic race. The outcome on 6 July? Only time will tell!

Two world champions lead the field

The professional field is led by two Ironman world champions Laura Philipp and Sam Laidlow. As the reigning world champion, Laura Philipp wants to try her luck again at the ‘most atmospheric race in the world’ and could make it to the top of the podium after finishing third and second in previous years. For Laidlow, it is ‘the most important race of the season next to the Ironman World Championship.’ For him, ‘a win in Roth would be a dream’.

For both, the title in the Home of Triathlon will be anything but a walk in the park. Both will have to hold their own against high-calibre competition.

Experience as a trump card?

Some of the favourites to win are already very familiar with the atmosphere and the course.

Last year’s runner-up Tom Bishop was one of the big surprises last year, in 2025 he wants even more and is aiming for victory, just like the best German from last year, Jan Stratmann. He missed out on the podium by just a few seconds in a thrilling race. The fourth-placed finisher in 2024 ‘wants to be on the podium at least’.

Andi Dreitz, winner of DATEV Challenge Roth 2019, knows this feeling very well. After a lengthy injury, he returned in 2024 and could be in contention for a place at the front.

Pieter Heemeryck also certainly has the potential. The Belgian is currently in 13th place in the Professional Triathletes Organisation rankings, with 19th place in Roth being his best result to date.

Things went better for the Swede, Jesper Svensson in his only start in Roth so far. He finished second behind Andi Dreitz in 2019 and could spring a surprise again this year.

Fenella Langridge is also returning to the Roth triathlon district. The 32-year-old has quickly become a crowd favourite thanks to her positive energy in her three appearances in Roth so far. In her last race at DATEV Challenge Roth in 2023, she narrowly missed out on the podium behind Laura Philipp. However, she has achieved this in previous years with second and third place. The only thing missing is a place at the top.

Magda Niewoudt also has a lot of experience in Challenge Family braces, with several middle distance titles to her name. She finished sixth in Roth in 2022.

First long distance – in Roth, of course

At this year’s edition of DATEV Challenge Roth, special attention will be paid to athletes who have already made headlines on shorter distances and are now taking on the long distance for the first time.

First and foremost, Frenchman Vincent Luis, two-time short distance world champion, three-time Olympic participant and now also two-time Ironman 70.3 winner, could cause quite a stir. He chose Roth as his first long-distance race because he followed his father racing Roth 20 years ago and fell in love with the race.

From a German perspective, Fred Funk’s long-distance debut is eagerly awaited. He competed in his very first triathlon 22 years ago at the Junior Challenge Roth. In 2025, he will return to his roots in the long distance. For Funk, there was ‘absolutely no question’ that his first long-distance triathlon would take place in Roth.

Australian Grace Thek has also already notched up important victories in the middle distance, such as at Challenge Salou and Ironman 70.3 Geelong. She wants to ‘feel the magic of Roth’ and certainly achieve a top placing on her debut.

Olympia meets Roth

There has probably never been so much Olympic flair on the long distance as this year. Aaron Royle and Henri Schoeman also competed alongside Vincent Luis at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. All three will meet again in Roth on 6 July for their long-distance debut. Schoeman won the bronze medal in 2016, the first South African ever to do so. Vincent Luis finished seventh and Aaron Royle ninth. How will the clash at DATEV Challenge Roth 2025 turn out?

Martin Schulz is sure to make an exceptional debut. Schulz is Germany’s most successful paratriathlete and wants to show what is possible with a handicap by competing in the professional field. He was the German flag bearer at the 2024 Paralympic Games and won gold medals in Rio and Tokyo. For his first long-distance race, he has set himself the target of directly attacking the top 20.

Schulz will have competition from China’s Wang Jiachao. He won one gold and two silver medals as a swimmer at the Paralympics. As a triathlete, he wants to take the next step in his first long-distance race.

Roth newcomers want to have their say

The French front runners around Sam Laidlow and Vincent Luis will be joined by Denis Chevrot. He has shown in recent years that he can cope exceptionally well with long-distance triathlon races in German-speaking countries. He won Ironman Austria twice and once each in Hamburg and Frankfurt. Chevrot won Ironman Austria just ahead of Arthur Horseau. He will also be celebrating his debut in the Home of Triathlon at DATEV Challenge Roth on 6 July.

There will be another ROTH debut for the fifth-placed finisher at the Ironman Hawaii. Menno Koolhaas is travelling with a personal best of 7:35 and ‘wants to overcome limits in Roth’ Koolhaas is currently number 20 in the PTO world rankings and triumphed at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam in 2023, where he secured the European long-distance title.

US American Matt Hanson proves that it’s never too late to celebrate his ROTH debut. The eight-time Ironman winner will be making his professional debut at the world’s biggest long-distance triathlon at the age of 40.

If anyone knows how to win Challenge races, it’s Jack Moody. The New Zealander has finished on the podium in five out of six Challenge Family races and secured the Challenge Family World Bonus in 2024. Now his first start in Roth!

Justine Mathieux is flying the French flag in the women’s field. She finished third at Ironman Cozumel and was French runner-up in the long-distance triathlon in 2020.

She has already finished five Ironman races on the podium and can also make it onto the podium at her Roth premiere.

Nikki Bartlett is ready for ‘the biggest triathlon party in the world’. The fifth-placed finisher in the Ironman World Championship could play a decisive role in the battle for first place: ‘My dream would be to have an Erdinger shower over the ladies’ and my heads on the podium!’.

Alanis Siffert, a new long-distance talent from Switzerland, is coming to Roth. She won four middle distance races last year and the Challenge Family World Bonus. In her long-distance debut at Ironman New Zealand on 1 March, she finished a strong sixth despite the pain. Can she continue the era of successful Swiss women on the long distance?

‘One more Roth’

It will certainly be emotional when Roth legend Laura Siddall competes once again as a professional in Roth. For Siddall, it will be ‘something special to be able to take part in Challenge Roth again and celebrate with all the locals, my host family, the volunteers, the team and the region, who have become friends in the nine years I’ve been there.’

It will also be a very special race for the winner of DATEV Challenge Roth 2017, Bart Aernouts. Eight years after his triumph, he will be on the start line in Roth for the third and final time as a professional.

‘To get back on the podium and give the younger generation a run for their money,’ is the goal of Maurice Clavel, who finished third in 2017. Will he succeed?

A race that will make history

For race director Felix Walchshöfer, the diversity of the professional field promises everything needed for an unpredictable race with many twists and turns: ‘6 July will be a big dance. For many of our pros it will be a glorious debutante ball, for some of our triathlon icons an emotional farewell party. Never before have we had so many high-calibre pros taking on the long distance in Roth for the first time ever. They will compete against the absolute world class who already know the course here. The run course in particular will be really fast. So much can happen and it will probably be the most exciting race ever!’

For the full professional start list, visit www.challenge-roth.com.