Challenge Wanaka announced that six Olympians will be taking part in their Design Windows Twilight Challenge at the Wanaka Showcase, which takes place on Feb. 18, 2022. The professional short-distance athletes will join their High Performance teammates for the final race of the Triathlon NZ Suzuki NZ Elite series. The six Olympians that are racing are Olympic bronze medalist Hayden Wilde (NZL), Nicole van der Kaay (NZL), Ainsley Thorpe (NZL), Tayler Reid (NZL), Andrea Hewitt (NZL), and South Africa’s Simone Ackermann.
The athletes will give it their all during the final race of New Zealand’s pinnacle racing series, just before they shift their focus towards the selection period for the Commonwealth Games, which takes place in Birmingham this year.
“We are very excited to bring racing back into the center of town on a Friday night”, Tony Dodds, Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka Showcase Manager, said. “We expect to see crowds come along to watch, cheer and spend some time down in our local bars and restaurants along the racecourse. The elite athletes will have a 750-meter swim, 15-km bike course through town and a 5-km run along the lakefront to the finish along in front of the local businesses. The racing will start at 5:30 PM with the women’s race and 7 PM for the men. We hope you can bring the family down to watch the best in Kiwi triathlon.”
In total, 20 male and 10 female athletes will toe the line of this special event.
