The crazy fast times during Sunday’s Challenge Almere-Amsterdam were not only a celebration for the athletes, but also for the organization. With a winning time of 7:37:46 hours in the men’s race and seven sub-8 finishers, and a winning time of 8:32:04 hours in the women’s race with seven sub-9 finishers, Challenge Almere-Amsterdam has become one of the fastest races in the world.
Denmark’s Kristian Hogenhaug needed 7:37:46 hours to complete the race, that’s just ten minutes slower than Jan Frodeno did this year in the unofficial Tri Battle Royale, where he clocked 7:27:53 hours. It’s hard to compare times, as every race is different and weather conditions can have a big impact, but given the fact that the Tri Battle Royale was an ideal race with for instance a line that athletes could follow in the water and a special ramp in the corners on the bike course, the finish times are not considered to be official.
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Without taking the Tri Battle Royale into consideration, it would still be Jan Frodeno who noted the fastest time ever: 7:35:39 at Challenge Roth 2016. Now there is Hogenhaug, who raced to the second-fastest time ever. A great scenario for Challenge Almere-Amsterdam.
It also helps that seven athletes finished with a time under eight hours, while two men only reached the finish a few seconds after that special time mark.
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Also in the women’s race Challenge Almere-Amsterdam was put out there with Sarissa de Vries, who became World Champion in a time of 8:32:04 hours. With this finish time, she might not reach the top five of the fastest times ever, but it’s still an incredibly fast time.
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In the women’s race, the first seven athletes finished with a sub-9 time.
