Lindars and Wolff Win Challenge Almere-Amsterdam
In a race complicated by fog and rain, headwinds on the below sea level, flat as a pancake bike course, and numerous flat tires, Kieran Lindars of Great Britain and Katherine Wolff of Germany took top honors at the historic long course venue of Almere-Amsterdam.
On the strength of a race-best 2:42:54 marathon, Lindars finished in 7:55:44 with a 4:54 margin over home-country favorite Niek Heldoorn and six minutes ahead of 3rd place finisher Andrew Starykowicz of the United States.
Lindars was exuberant at the finish, taking gold not long after a recent injury. “It’s been such a difficult six weeks,” he told 247. “Just to get here because of a knee injury and I can’t believe what I’ve achieved.”
Powered by a strong 4:58:04 bike split, Wolff took her first pro win in 9:10:10 with a 5:47 margin over fellow German Lina-Kristin Schink and 10:56 over third place finisher Jenny Nae of Sweden.
The Challenge Almere-Amsterdam course is the world's only long-distance triathlon located below sea level on reclaimed land at the bottom of what was once the Zuiderzee. Still surrounded by water, the course features the typical Dutch landscapes – windmills, tulip fields and endless straight, fast roads.
Men's Race Recap
In the swim, Lindars joined a chase group of five men behind the leading 44:34 split by former Polish Olympian Lukasz Wojt, now representing Germany. Joining Lindars in the chase pack two minutes later was Netherlanders Niek Heldoorn and Evert Scheltinga, Pamphiel Pareyn of Belgium.
While heavy rains pelted the competitors for the first 30 minutes, Scheltinga suffered a flat that derailed his race by 5 minutes. Soon thereafter, Wojt suffered mechanical issues which forced his retirement from the race, leaving Heldoorn, Pareyn, and Lindars in the lead.
Meanwhile, Andrew Starykowicz and Milan Brons charged hard and took over first and second places. Approaching T2, Starykowicz took off and earned a 1:30 lead on Brons and eight minutes ahead of the chase group. Having a difficult day, Scheltinga and Thomas Steger started the run at the top of a third chase group, 11 minutes behind the leaders.
On the run, Brons started strong and clipped his deficit to 1 minute – but on the second lap Starykowicz actually kept a better pace. Lindars and Heldoorn stood 3rd and 4th, another minute arrears. After 8 miles of the run, Brons started to walk portions, and fell of the chase while Lindars and Starykowicz battled for the lead.
Lindars charged to the front by the halfway point of the run. After running the first half marathon in 1:16:08, Lindars cooled off his pace while maintaining a comfortable lead over Kristian Grue of Norway, who overtook gritty Starky, who rolled his ankle early in the run.
With a few kilometers to go, recent Embrun winner Heldoorn passed Starky and Grue. Starykowicz, meanwhile, hung tough and re-passed Grue for third. Lindars took the win in 7:55:44 with a 4:54 margin on Heldoorn and 6 minutes on 3rd place finisher Starykowicz. Grue wound up 4th in 8:02:25.
Women's Race Recap
Pre-race favorite Els Visser of Netherlands surprised observers by pulling out of the race due to illness just before the start.
Visser explained her plight to Challenge broadcaster Belinda Granger: “My family and friends are all here and this was my chance to take the victory. But I just couldn’t get out of bed earlier – it wasn’t even a possibility to start. It’s mind-blowing to me – yesterday I felt good and did three little training sessions and then at midnight I started to feel nauseous and that continued all night. In a split second I went from feeling good to awful.”
Katherine Wolff and Karina Gosvig of Denmark took a five-minute lead after the swim, followed by Lina-Kristin Schink of Germany and Janien Lubben of Netherlands. Soon after the bike leg started, Gosvig dropped Wolff, but a short while later Schink gathered her energy and sped to the front.
Halfway through the bike leg, the wind picked up and Schink increased her lead to over three minutes. Behind the leading duo, Gosvig dropped back while Lubben and Julia Aspeletten of Norway moved up to 3rd and 4th.
By T2, Schink increased her lead to 3:30 over Wolff. By 7 kilometers of the run, Wolff chopped her deficit to one minute. By halfway, Wolff caught Schink, took the lead and increased her margin to 4:54 at the finish. “I’m speechless, it’s unbelievable,” Wolff said afterwards. “I had some orientation problems in the water because of the fog and then I struggled with the wind and rain on the bike. On the run, the first half marathon felt great but it was tough after that.”
But little rest for the weary. Wolff told Granger: “I’m a primary school teacher and the new class starts next week!”
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam 2022
Almere-Amsterdam, Netherlands
September 10, 2022
S3.8km / B 180km / R 42.2km
Top Men's Results
1. Kieran Lindars (GBR) – 7:55:44
2. Niek Heldoorn (NED) – 8:00:38
3. Andrew Starykowicz (USA) – 8:01:44
4. Kristian Grue (NOR) – 8:02:25
5. Joao Ferreira (POR) – 8:03:19
Top Women's Results
1. Katharina Wolff (GER) – 9:10:10
2. Lina-Kristin Schink (GER) – 9:15:57
3. Jenny Nae (SWE) – 9:21:04
