While yesterday it was big news that none other than Gustav Iden will be racing Challenge Samarkand in about a month and a half, it now appears that his friend, training buddy and compatriot Kristian Blummenfelt will also be taking part in the race in Uzbekistan. Both athletes are using the race as preparation for the Ironman World Championships on Kona.
Both Iden and Blummenfelt hope to add a victory to their record in both Samarkand and Kona, but will thus also have to face each other twice. When Iden was announced for Challenge Samarkand yesterday, Blummenfelt decided to race the iconic event as well.
Also Rico Bogen, Thomas Bishop, Thor Bendix Madsen, Gaetan Fetaud and Ruben Zepuntke will race, among others. Among the women, Laura Madsen and Lottie Lucas are some of the biggest favorites. Several athletes will undoubtedly be added to the start list in the coming weeks.
Challenge Samarkand takes place in Uzbekistan; Samarkand is located on the ‘Silk Road’, formerly a network of caravan routes through Central Asia along which trade was conducted for many centuries between China and eastern Asia on one side and the Middle East and Mediterranean on the other. For centuries, the Silk Road was the most important link between east and west.
Today, a visit to Samarkand is a mix between ‘old/classical and new/modern’. Hyper-modern and luxurious hotels surround the race venue for example, but the old core of the city seems like a giant leap back in time.
