Photos: Challenge Roth and Ironman 70.3 Les Sables d'Olonne

Text by: Susan Lacke

After being canceled in 2020 and limited to a small, socially distanced event in 2021, Challenge Roth returned for its 20th anniversary with a bang. The star-studded lineup included world champions Anne Haug, Jan Frodeno, and Patrick Lange, but it was 24 year-old Magnus Ditlev who made a name for himself by breaking the tape with a time of 7:35:48 – only nine seconds off Frodeno’s course record from 2016. Haug defended her title and added another feather in her already-full cap by overcoming a 7-minute deficit on the swim to not only take the lead on the run, but put in more than 9 minutes over the competition with a finishing time of 8:22:42.

Meanwhile, in France’s Côte de Lumière, Pierre Le Corre and Marta Bernardi took the wins in the men’s and women’s races, respectively, at Ironman 70.3 Les Sables d’Olonne. A blazing-fast run was the key to both victories, as Le Corre broke away from a neck-and-neck bike with Christophe De Keyser by throwing down a 1:07:08 half-marathon en route to a 3:41:05 overall finishing time. Bernardi had a similar challenge, finishing her bike leg within a pack of six. With a 1:18:46 run split, she checked off her competition one by one, eventually building a lead of over a minute and finishing in 4:12:24.

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Relive the excitement of both races with these photos from Challenge Roth and Ironman 70.3 Les Sables d’Olonne.