LOTTO Challenge Gdańsk, one of the most attractive triathlon events in Europe, starts on June 16. Both professionals and amateurs will be able to try their hand and compete for prizes at three distances. The event also includes the Trefl Aquathlon competition for children and the Challenge Women by Brooks charity recreational run for women.
Triathlon is gaining popularity in Poland every year. There are more and more professions and people practicing this combination of swimming, cycling and running. This discipline puts high demands on the physical condition of the participants, but it is not technically difficult.
Triathlon competitions often take place in beautiful natural locations – this year they are, among others, Beskid Żywiecki, Podkarpacie, Kashubian Landscape Park and seaside towns. Swimming in the sea, running along the beach and finishing at the pier sound attractive? These and many other unforgettable experiences are provided by LOTTO Challenge Gdańsk, the third edition of which will take place on June 16-18 in Brzeźno, an extremely picturesque part of Gdańsk.
“Lotto Challenge Gdańsk is one of the most important events in the triathlon calendar. We organize competitions in such a way that they are as friendly as possible for all participants – both those who are just starting their adventure with triathlon and experienced competitors. A year ago, almost a thousand participants took part in all LOTTO Challenge Gdańsk competitions, many of whom assured that they would definitely come back to us. This is the best recommendation,” says Adam Greczyło, director and organizer of LOTTOChallenge Gdańsk.
Gdańsk – Polish capital of triathlon
The event will start with a press conference at the Polsat Plus Arena Gdańsk stadium on Friday at 12:00 with the participation of the President of Challenge Family, Jort Vlam, as well as the ambassadors of LOTTO Challenge Gdańsk: the acting couple – Tamara Arciuch and Bartek Kasprzykowski and presenter, former model and basketball player Karolina Filipkowska.
There are three distances to choose from in the Gdańsk competition: sprint, Olympic and medium. In each of them, the triathletes will start the competition on the beautiful beach in Brzeźno and swim the distance of 750, 1500 and 1900 meters around the Brzeźno pier. After switching to bicycles, participants will face a flat, spectacular loop of 20 km (sprint and Olympic distance) or 30 km (medium distance). The route runs through tunnel under the Martwa Wisła and around the Polsat Plus Arena Gdańsk stadium, one of the most beautiful facilities of this type in Europe. At the last stage, a 5, 10 or 21 km running section awaits the competitors, running along the beach and through the seaside Reagan Park, with the finish at the pier. All this makes the competition extremely attractive also for fans.
Three-person relay teams can also participate in the competition at the Olympic and middle distance, in which each competitor performs only one of the triathlon disciplines – swimming, cycling or running.
The total prize pool for the top six professional players is 19,000 euros. The top ten will also receive passes to participate in the Challenge Family Championship, the world’s largest triathlon racing series.
Running women support the hospice
In this year’s edition of the competition, the recreational 5-kilometer Challenge Women by Brooks run will take place for the first time. In addition to popularizing active leisure among women, it has one more important goal – to support the Pomeranian Children’s Hospice, to which the organizers will transfer all entry fees. The first three competitors will receive vouchers for sports equipment from Brooks Running – a specialist American running company, and the first 100 registered participants will also receive commemorative T-shirts.
The ambassadors of the run were Aleksander Matusiński, a famous coach and creator of the successes of the titled women’s 4 × 400 meters relay, and one of the competitors of this relay, the bronze medalist of the 2021 European Indoor Championships Kornelia Lesiewicz.
“In taking up physical activity, the most important thing is to break through and be properly motivated. Challenge Women is not about performance, but about the satisfaction of finishing the race and taking care of your health. Importantly, participants will still have time to prepare for the run. At the outset, I recommend “conversational pace”, i.e. a run during which we can talk freely. Then we gradually increase the intensity of training, dividing the distance into sections and intertwining the effort with breaks, during which our heart rate stabilizes. Of course, we do not forget about the warm-up. Start now and see you on June 17 in Gdańsk!” encourages Aleksander Matusiński.
In addition, on Friday there will be a Trefl Aquathlon Gdańsk race for children and youth aged 7-17, which last year was very popular among the youngest competitors. They will compete in the swimming section near the pier in Brzeźno and in the run along the bicycle path towards Sopot in one of five age categories.
It is worth coming with the whole family and spending an unforgettable sports weekend by taking part in the LOTTO Challenge Gdańsk. The excellent atmosphere at the competition is best evidenced by the fact that it was voted the best event of this series in the world in 2021 and the best finisher zone in 2022 by the votes of Challenge Family competitors.
