Sam Laidlow Sets World’s Fastest Time at Challenge Roth, While Alanis Siffert Stuns With Career-Best Result

The most supported triathlon in the world and the self-proclaimed “home of triathlon” delivered one of the most dramatic races in recent years, with Sam Laidlow (FRA) and Siffert (SUI) both producing career-defining performances in Roth.

Laidlow backed up last year’s win by going almost nine minutes faster, thanks to a ferocious swim and bike that allowed him to hold off a blistering 2:29 marathon from Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt and still win by more than five minutes, setting the world’s fastest full-distance triathlon time in 7:21:04.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the day, and one of the biggest upsets of the last several years, came from 24-year-old Siffert, who took down two titans of the sport in Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) and Kat Matthews (GBR) with seven minutes to spare. She did it largely thanks to a standout bike ride and a 12-minute marathon PB, going 8:09:09 for the win.

The swim in the Roth canal was non-wetsuit for the pros, much to the joy of the stronger swimmers. Jonas Schomburg (DEU), Laidlow, and 70.3 world champion Rico Bogen (DEU), making his full-distance debut, were part of a group of five that broke away early.

Whether it was a coordinated attack to rid themselves of their biggest competition or just a strong start, by 1,000 meters, they already had 24 seconds on Blummenfelt, and that gap only ballooned from there, growing to three minutes by the end of the swim. Former champions Patrick Lange (DEU) and Magnus Ditlev (DEN) were even further back.

On the women’s side, Charles-Barclay,  a surprise late addition to the start list, unsurprisingly broke away from the gun. But it wasn’t the lead she might have hoped for based on races past. Germany’s Caroline Pohle was next out of the water, impressively keeping the gap to just over a minute and a half alongside Fenella Langridge (GBR), eventual race winner Siffert, and up-and-coming Brit Daisy Davies. Matthews was further adrift, six minutes back from Charles-Barclay in what was one of her biggest goal races of the year alongside Kona.

Out onto the bike, it was a blistering start for the front men as the group of five quickly became three, with Schomburg, Laidlow, and Bogen extending their lead significantly in the early miles. Behind, Blummenfelt, Ditlev, and Lange lost almost two further minutes in under 20 miles.

It was also interesting to note that the front three were all riding the new Canyon Gen 6 Speedmax, set to be released on July 9, with its distinctive one-piece winged seatpost.

From there, the gap steadied all the way through to the famous Solar Hill climb, where the front trio held five minutes on lap one over Ditlev and Blummenfelt. Lange, meanwhile, had fallen out of the top 15 and was more than 10 minutes back.

Behind Charles-Barclay, the women’s chase group eviscerated her lead within 25 miles of the bike, working well together before Siffert eventually made the pass and led the group of four. Langridge was the only one unable to stay with the pack, as she was caught by Matthews, who was also riding strong aboard the new Speedmax, though she had only clawed back about 30 seconds at that point.

By the time the second lap of Solar Hill came around, it was just a duo at the front, with Laidlow and the debutant Bogen now nine and a half minutes clear of Ditlev and Blummenfelt, who were riding together. Schomburg was falling away quickly, now three minutes behind the leaders.

Disaster almost struck for Laidlow as he attempted a pass on the age-groupers through the congested Solar Hill – a risky move that saw him get bumped, yet somehow manage to stay upright.

At the same point in the women’s race, Siffert had a clear one-minute lead over Charles-Barclay and Pohle, while Matthews’ chances of winning were looking nearly impossible with a 12-minute gap.

Siffert carried that momentum flying into T2 first, though she came in a little too fast and had her own scare, somewhat crashing into the bike-catching volunteer.

Speaking after the race, Siffert explained her incredible bike performance: “I saw my watts, and I was like, ‘It’s way too high, I won’t be able to hold it.’” She then proceeded to shut down her bike computer to avoid seeing those numbers anymore.

That almost unexplainable power continued onto the run as Siffert set a pace that was foreign to her, running faster, by far, than anyone else on course. That included the 2023 world champion Charles-Barclay and recent Ironman Lanzarote winner Matthews, who could only watch their chances continually slip away.

In the end, Siffert ran more than 12 minutes faster than she ever had before, taking the biggest win of her career ahead of Charles-Barclay. Davies came home for an impressive third ahead of Pohle, while Matthews had to settle for fifth on what was clearly an off day, marked by an uncharacteristically slow marathon.

“I felt so strong but also mentally was in a really good place,” Siffert shared in elation. “This race is so special, and I am someone who really likes the party. So  ‘Let’s rock the party I told myself.

Women’s 2026 Challenge Roth results:

Position	Athlete	Swim	Bike	Run	Overall
1	Alanis Siffert	52:03	04:29:19	02:45:00	08:09:09
2	Lucy Charles-Barclay	50:23	04:31:51	02:50:43	08:16:41
3	Daisy Davies	52:08	04:35:51	02:56:35	08:27:19

The battle continued in the men’s race as Bogen looked set to challenge for the win, exiting T2 first with Laidlow. The pair likely were not too worried about Blummenfelt at that point, with the Norwegian trailing by more than 12 and a half minutes.

Initially, Bogen and Laidlow ran side by side, but a mishap during a nutrition handoff between Bogen and his wife seemed to mark the beginning of the separation. From there, the gap continued to grow all the way to the finish as Bogen faded.

Blummenfelt and Ditlev themselves ran together early on at a staggering 2:30 marathon pace, but only the Norwegian was able to hold it. Blummenfelt eventually ran 2:29, which was only enough for second, still 5:20 back from Laidlow and his new world-best full-distance time, toppling Blummenfelt’s 2021 Ironman Cozumel time from 2021 by just seven seconds.

“I am on top of the world right now,” Laidlow shared after the race, despite also disclosing that even last week he was very close to not racing. He gave credit to his family for helping get him to the start line.

Bogen impressively held on for third ahead to round out one of the best full-distance debut’s we’ve ever seen. Menno Koolhaas, who ran a 2:30 finished fourth ahead of Schomburg in fifth and Ditlev in sixth. Former champion Lange had to settle for ninth after losing 20 minutes on the bike.

All eyes will now be on the response from Blummenfelt and the rest of the field in Laidlow’s wake ahead of Kona, as Roth felt in many ways like a preview of what could be coming next.

Men’s 2026 Challenge Roth results:

 

Position	Athlete	Swim	Bike	Run	Overall
1	Sam Laidlow	46:57	3:54:58	2:36:53	7:21:04
2	Kristian Blummenfelt	49:54	4:04:10	2:29:33	7:26:24
3	Rico Bogen	46:56	3:54:45	2:43:48	7:27:53