The Magic of Roth

Photo: David with Annette and Annika Spiegl after the race

Q: What is Roth?

Roth, the name of a town and the surrounding county in the Bavarian region of southern Germany, is the location of the Quelle Challenge – an Iron-distance triathlon that recently attracted 2,700 individual entries and 1,700 athletes in relay teams from more than 40 countries on July 2, 2006. The Quelle Challenge, formerly Ironman Europe, is the largest Iron-distance race in the world.

Q: Why race in Roth?

Roth is a magical place and a race experience like none of the other nine different Iron-distance races that I have competed in. Please read on…

Q: What is the course like?

The swim is very fast – the relatively narrow, low flow (if any flow) canal makes for easy sighting and requires little navigational skill other than to sight the shore while breathing then occasionally looking forward to find the feet of a marginally stronger swimmer. This was my second year competing in Roth. I swam my two fastest 2.4-mile swim times in this race.

Photo: Lead swimmers

In spite of being a host to the world record Iron-distance time of 7:50 set by Belgian Luc Van Lierde in 1997 and winning times that always seem to hover just under or just over the eight hour mark, the bike course at Roth is not a flat course – my heart rate monitor measured more than 5,000 feet of climbing for the combined bike and run courses. The bike course is also technical in places, requiring cyclists to navigate tight turns through small towns along with a few switchbacks with hay bales lined against the side of the road to catch erring athletes. Both years, I experienced strong headwinds and heat.

The run is mostly flat as it primarily takes athletes out and back in both directions along the Main-Donau canal, so the bulk of the climbing occurs during the two-loops of the bike leg. Temperatures on the bike and run can be uncomfortably hot – approaching 90° F – with little to no shade.

Q: If not an easy course, then what makes the Quelle Challenge so fast and so popular?

In my mind (this is purely subjective of course), there are three primary reasons.

Reason #1: Raw Energy.

“Hop! Hop! Hop!”

““Go, David! Super! Super!”

The noise from the crowds and the music were deafening as I attacked the climbs on the bike course, first at Greding then again at Solar Berg. A solid wall of screaming, waving, animated fans blocked my path up Solar Berg until the last possible moment before pulling back to allow me to move forward. As I passed, the gap quickly closed behind me in anticipation of the next cyclist. It is as if the crowd embraces each cyclist in a protective cocoon to move him or her quickly and safely up the hill in a rhythmic, pulsing motion. I soaked in the crowd’s energy, which seemed to drive my legs forward faster than they could have moved if I were alone.

Photo: Solar Berg

When I entered the stadium at the finish of my marathon (there’s a temporary stadium built for the race), I felt like I was a rock star coming on stage at a concert. The crowds were thunderous and my image was displayed on the large projection screen as I happily slapped extended hands and pumped my fists in joy!

These are only two of the many examples of the crowd energy that was present all day.

Reason #2: Athlete talent.

Being surrounded by a deep bench of talented athletes is motivating. With the exception of racing in the Hawaii Ironman, I doubt there is as much talent in any other race. To give an example, I finished with a time of 9:19, which would have put me on the age group podium in many Iron-distance races and qualified me for the Hawaii Ironman. At Roth, I was 63rd overall and 16th in my age group more than an hour behind the men’s winner Chris McCormack.

Photo: Women’s 2nd place finisher Belinda Granger

Reason #3: Venue.

From all angles, the Challenge is a top-notch event fully embraced by and embedded in the local community – this pride is evident everywhere. From my arrival into town a week before the race, I saw banners and signs everywhere welcoming the athletes. The locals were excited about the event – everyone seemed to be involved as either a spectator or a volunteer. More than 4,000 volunteers participated – as many as the number of athletes.

When I sat down with Felix Walchshöfer, the race director a week after the race, I asked him, “How do you do it? What makes this race so exceptional?”

As we talked over three hours, one common theme kept coming up: teamwork. Felix repeatedly referred to teamwork between the race organization, the volunteers and the community.

Given that Roth and the surrounding community only consist of small towns, local families host many of the athletes. My girlfriend, Laura, and I stayed with our host family, the Spiegl’s both years that I raced. They were wonderful hosts and treated us like royalty. The Spiegl’s expect us back again next year.

For me personally, I am always chasing another sub-nine hour race. With its crowds, its talent, and its venue, the Quelle Challenge is an ideal race and venue for me to achieve that goal.

Q: What is the racing experience like?