This year will see only the third edition of Challenge Samarkand – on the weekend of Aug. 23 and 24 – but the race has already become one that actually always features some of the best athletes in the world. Let’s see why that is.
Let’s head back to 2023, when the first edition of Challenge Samarkand took place and immediately world-class athletes found their way to the race that shows a spectacular connection between Europe and Asia. In the men’s race, the win went to Frederic Funk, while the podium was complemented by Aaron Royle and Filipe Azevedo. The women’s race was spectacular as well, as Ellie Salthouse took the win, while Emma Pallant-Browne and Margie Santimaria took home the silver and bronze medals.
Only one year later, the organizers of Challenge Samarkand actually went the extra mile when they managed to contract both Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden. Both Norwegians athletes proved dominant, living up to their roles as favorites and taking the gold and silver, while none other than IM 70.3 world champion Rico Bogen finished third. Not only did the race prove spectacular on location, but the livestream was also massively watched. Challenge Samarkand literally and figuratively went global.
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Not only was the men’s 2024 race spectacular, but Laura Madsen provided a stunning victory in the women’s race. Marta Lagownik and Justine Guerard complemented the podium, showing how deeply filled the women’s field was.
Of course, there were many more professional athletes at the start of Challenge Samarkand in the past two years – not only the 12 podium finishers gave color to the race. Especially interesting: afterwards, all the professional athletes unanimously agreed that Challenge Samarkand was a unique experience. Visiting Uzbekistan made a big impression, the locals showed themselves to be very friendly, the organization team enormously knowledgeable and in fact the athletes lacked nothing at all. The luxury hotel strip where you stay – or at least can stay – as a participant completes the overall picture: from there you can explore Samarkand and/or the region, while staying right next to the start and finish location and thus being completely unburdened. Luxury hotel rooms, great restaurants and a very nice climate: Challenge Samarkand definitely is a bucket list race to never forget.
Challenge Samarkand 2025 takes place in the weekend of 23/24 August. More info via the race website. The race has an increased prize purse of 75.000 dollar.
