“What’s your favourite part of race morning?” we asked Felix Walchshofer, renowned Race Director and owner of Challenge Roth.
“There’s one moment that completely stands out for me,” he says.
“It’s 3:00am when my motorcycle driver picks me up and takes me to the swim start. As we cross the bridge, I look down and see buoys already in the channel. Fog hangs over the water – the channel is completely covered because it’s warm, and the air is cold. The light from the balloons we use to illuminate transition casts this soft, misty glow. It’s the calm before the storm.”
“The bikes are all racked. Everyone is still at home. But I know what’s coming – the energy. The whole town is about to go completely crazy. There will be 300,000 spectators. But right then, there’s silence. And I get goosebumps. I love that moment.”
A Family’s Mission to Create the Best Race Experience on the Planet
When Challenge Roth sold out in less than 30 seconds this year, it wasn’t just a testament to the race’s popularity – it was proof that the family vision behind the event is resonating with athletes around the world.
The first triathlon in Roth took place in 1984, and by 1988 it had become Ironman Europe. But the race as we know it today truly began in 2002, when Herbert Walchshofer – father of current Race Director Felix – took over the event and began shaping a new vision.
It was no longer about replicating other races or chasing world championship slots. Instead, the focus shifted to creating something entirely different: an experience that was deeply athlete-centric, emotionally resonant, and rooted in community.
“My father didn’t just want another triathlon,” Felix explains. “He wanted to build a triathlon festival – a whole-week experience, not just a race. That DNA is still in us today.”
That philosophy – of building something for the athlete first, not the brand – continues to drive Roth’s success. And it’s what Felix and his team of 16 full-time employees pour themselves into, year-round. Challenge Roth isn’t part of a massive race portfolio. It is the portfolio. This singular focus enables the team to continuously evolve every detail of the event.
“We’ll never be Kona,” Felix says, “and Kona will never be us. And that’s the point. Both are special. Both matter in different ways.”
Every year, Challenge Roth runs one of the most detailed athlete surveys in the sport. There are extensive open-ended questions, and the feedback is taken seriously. One staff member spends two full weeks analyzing and synthesizing the data before presenting it to Felix and his leadership team across two dedicated debrief days. From there, each area of the race – bike course, expo, transition, massage, post-race recovery, even accessibility – is carefully reviewed and reimagined.
“Some years we implement 40 changes,” Felix says. “It might be something tiny, like lowering the step into the showers, or adding yellow tape to stair edges to help those with visual impairments. But we listen. We always listen.”
That attentiveness doesn’t stop with athletes. Volunteers, spectators, local officials, and accessibility organizations are consulted. “We have a huge fan base here, including people with disabilities, and we want them to feel included in every part of the experience,” Felix says. “It’s not just a race. It’s a community event, a cultural event. It belongs to the people of Roth just as much as it does to the pros.”
In a world of increasingly commercialized races, Challenge Roth is still, at its core, a family-run labour of love.
And yet, Felix insists, “You can read about Roth, you can watch the videos, but you’ll never really understand it until you’ve done it. You have to feel what Roth means. It’s a feeling – and you can’t describe it.”
When Felix Raced Roth: Experiencing His Own Creation
For years, Felix Walchshofer poured his heart into building the ultimate athlete experience, but it wasn’t until 2014 that he experienced it himself, as an athlete.
“The good thing about Roth, with it not being a world championship, is that it’s all about the atmosphere and the experience,” he says. “It takes pressure off the athletes. When we ask them what mattered most after the race, they typically don’t say personal bests even though it’s a fast course – they talk about the people, the feeling, the community.”
Embodying this approach himself allowed Felix to toe the line without watching his data or monitoring his performance, but simply with the goal of deeply enjoying his “day of sport.”
Felix knew racing would be special, but he admits it profoundly defied even his own expectations. His most unforgettable moment? Solar Hill.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve gone up Solar Hill on the back of a motorcycle,” he says. “But when I went through it on a bike, as an athlete, I was so overwhelmed. [Good thing for my] dark sunglasses because the tears were running down my face. From that low position, on the bike, you’re surrounded by people yelling, clapping your back, screaming ‘Go, go, go!’ It was amazing. Solar was amazing.”
When asked about his second most memorable moment, he said the marathon, and in a completely unexpected way. “I ran 8km before I hit an energy low and had to start walking,” Felix says. “But that’s when something special happened. I met people. We shared stories. We walked together. We had hours to talk. And suddenly, I realized: this is a different side of Roth I’ve never seen – not from the finish line, not from a motorcycle.”
Athletes shared salt sticks and other items. They checked in on each other. They talked about life. “There was this camaraderie that stunned me,” Felix said. “I’d never experienced that part of the race. And now, I’ll never forget it.”
Historic Moments and the Athletes and Connections Behind Them
For Felix Walchshofer, Challenge Roth has never just been about times, splits, or world records, despite it being a renowned world record course. It has been primarily about the people, the stories, and the moments that unfold beyond the clock.
It’s a philosophy that shapes how Roth is built and how Felix leads. While the crowds roar and finish-line tapes fall, he’s also tuned into something quieter: the deeply human moments that define an athlete’s experience.
Take Sam Laidlow. In early 2025, he was struggling, not just with performance, but with serious health challenges that left him unsure if he’d even make the start line. Felix was one of the people Sam confided in during that time.
“He sent me messages throughout the lead-up,” Felix says. “He said ‘Felix, I won’t cancel, but it doesn’t look good.’ Month by month, we stayed in touch. I got to see his confidence return.”
By race week, many still counted him out, including Triathlon Magazine Germany, who considered Laidlow a non-factor in their race preview. But Felix saw something different. “They said, ‘He won’t play a role.’ And I said, ‘Put Sam in the game. He’s my pick.’”
When Laidlow surged to victory, he went straight to Felix at the finish. “The first thing he said to me was, ‘You don’t know what this means to me.’” Felix pauses. “But I did. That moment meant just as much to me.”
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That finish line embrace reset Laidlow’s season, and it left a permanent mark on Felix. “When someone shares the highs and lows with you like that, you take part in their journey,” he says. “And that’s everything.”
Felix has been present for some of triathlon’s most unforgettable moments, and not just as a Race Director, but as a quiet witness to greatness. In 2024, local legend Anne Haug broke the world best time for long-distance triathlon, one of the highlights of her entire career.
Felix has also felt the weight of responsibility in ways most Race Directors never do, like when Sister Madonna raced Roth. “Of course, we wanted her to finish,” he says. “But I was nervous. I was really, truly worried about her. I called her on course and said, ‘You can still finish, but please let us help you.’”
It’s this thread of care – quiet, consistent, and deeply personal – that runs through Challenge Roth at every level. From elite champions to age-groupers just looking to cross the finish line, Felix sees more than performances. He sees people.
And for the thousands who race each year, that feeling – of being seen, known, and welcomed – is what makes Roth unlike anything else in the sport.
When the Lights Come On, and Everyone is Home
Felix opened the interview by sharing his favourite moment on race morning…but he closed by sharing what he says is “actually his favourite moment.”
“It’s when the big laser show starts, and I know that all my athletes are in. Maybe a few are still out there, but our volunteers are with them. Everyone is safe, and there have been no serious accidents or issues.”
He pauses. “It’s this big moment of relief. Everything just…sinks in.”
And for Felix, it’s this quiet knowledge that they’ve done it – once again, they’ve pulled it off – that holds a special place in his heart. The team, the town, the volunteers, the athletes…all of them, together, have created something that will stay with people for a lifetime.
Perhaps it can best be summed up by saying that Challenge Roth is not just a triathlon. It is a shared story. And everyone who races it, works it, or cheers on the sidelines becomes part of that story forever.
The post Challenge Roth: The Triathlon Festival Everyone Wants to Be Part Of appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.