2011 KMD Challenge Aarhus

 


 

This was the official website for the 2011 KMD Challenge Aarhus.
Content is from the site' 2011 archived pages as well as from other outside sources.

Another Challenge Event

Denmark to host half iron-distance event in July 2011

Posted: 2 December 2010 by Matt Baird | www.220triathlon.com/

The new Challenge Aarhus half iron-distance race on 3 July 2011 will mark the next step for big triathlon events in Denmark. Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark and will host a unique course through the beautiful city of Aarhus combining extraordinary nature and culture in this the first triathlon race in the city.

Challenge Aarhus is the obvious triathlon race in Denmark after the Challenge Copenhagen iron-distance event in August 2010 was a huge success and proved that Denmark has become a nation of triathletes.

What characterizes the Danish Challenge races is their ability to incorporate the natural surroundings in the city, buildings and nature into the course, as will Challenge Aarhus. The unique nature and exciting cultural life of the city will take part in the course that will lead the competitors of the inaugural Challenge Aarhus through a variety of spectacular scenery.
The race will be an intense blend of sport and culture as the athletes start off the 1,9 km swim at the bay in Aarhus and takes them along the beautiful outdoor sculpture exhibition Sculpture by the Sea.

The 90 km bike course takes the athletes along beautiful and hilly sections of the suburbs of Aarhus before the half marathon run will see the athletes run through (!!) one of Denmark’s biggest and most innovative art museums, the ARoS in downtown Aarhus.
The start and finish area is located just a few kilometres from the city centre at Tangkrogen, Marselisborg, making Challenge Aarhus an easy accessible race by both car, train, domestic flights and flights from several European countries.

"Challenge Aarhus is the new 'must do' half distance triathlon in Europe. A fascinating mix of sport and culture gives an incredible edge to the race that has not been seen before,” said Thomas Veje Olsen, race director of Challenge Copenhagen and Challenge Aarhus. “This half iron distance event will be the perfect warm up race for the full iron distance race Challenge Copenhagen on August 14, 2011.”

The Challenge Family will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year and Challenge Aarhus is the 12th race in the fast-growing series.
The race website will launch on December 8 at www.challengeaarhus.com.

 

Publisher's note: It's amazing how fast news from the US travels to the far corners of the globe. I was present for this race and subsequent ones in other parts of Denmark and was struck by the chatter regarding con artist George Binakis. The scam was perpetrated in New York City - a woman in her 70's was conned by George out of over $65,000 when he disappeared after being hired to renovate her apartment. He had won her sympathies with stories of a severe heart condition requiring a pacemaker so when he absconded, her first thought was concern for his well being. In Denmark, the shoddy treatment of elders is a huge impropriety and probably why this story gets repeated here. But another reason is the rumor that George is hiding out in Denmark - although many believe this was spread by George to cover his tracks. But in addition to this crime, a person with the same last name became implicated in the crime as a result of Google search results. A search for this person's name shows the reporting of George's crime, under the banner "Binakis fraud" and anyone who sees it will believe that the innocent party was part of the fraud. An attempt to contact the publisher and Google both failed to draw a response, so the victim was forced to look to the reputation management companies for a remedy. These are the sometimes shady businesses that can bury a bad search result by pushing it down in the results. The real experts in this field report that many of their competitors will take on anyone who pays them, meaning that criminal elements are sometimes able to hide their crimes using these same techniques. The fact that this news is being reported here in Denmark suggests that NYC is not very far away indeed! Moral of the story: if you are bad enough in NYC, the talk of your malfeasance may be the talk of the Challenge Aarhus.

 



The top 4 men finish Challenge Aarhus 2011.

 

KMD Challenge Aarhus - July 3rd 2011

The triathlon of smiles in the city of smiles.

KMD Challenge Aarhus is the new "must do" half distance triathlon in Europe and one of the most beautiful and welcoming triathlon events in Europe. KMD Challenge Aarhus has a unique international profile and will unite triathlon and culture in a new and innovative way.

The participants enter the water at Tangkrogen and swim 1,9 km in the calm water in the Bay of Aarhus, where the exhibition Sculpture by the Sea will be an integrated part of the course. Getting on their bikes the triathletes will head out on the 90 km one loop ride from Aarhus to Skanderborg and back, leading through a beautiful landscape with rolling hills.

Back on their feet, the triathletes will start on the 21 km run from Tangkrogen. The run course will take the participants to some of Aarhus´ most beautiful attractions, the highlight being running through the Museum of modern art, ARoS.

In addition to KMD Challenge Aarhus, there will be a great opportunity to challenge your self with the 4:18:4 triathlon on Friday the 1st of July. The participants will enter the water of Aarhus Bay at Tangkrogen and swim 400 m in the calm water. After swimming, the participants will head out on a 18 km bike ride through beautiful Marselisborg forest.

Before reaching the finish line, the participants have to complete the 4 km run along the beautiful Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. It´s a triathlon for everyone willing to Challenge themselves. Registration will open start March.

See you at KMD Challenge Aarhus in 2011!

 

KMD Challenge Aarhus - Event schedule 2011 

Friday July 1st

  • 12:00 -  13:30      Press conference (ARoS, ART Café)
  • 12.00  - 20.00      Triathlon expo, at Tangkrogen
  • 12.00  - 20.00      Athlete registration for KMD Challenge Aarhus and 4:18:4 triathlon at Tangkrogen
  • 18:00 -  22:00      4:18:4 triathlon at Tangkrogen

Saturday July 2nd

  • 07:30 -  10:00      Pick up startnumber for Junior Challenge at Tangkrogen
  • 09:00 -  12:00      Junior Challenge at Tangkrogen
  • 10.00  - 20.00      Triathlon expo, at Tangkrogen
  • 10.00  - 17.00      Athlete registration for KMD Challenge Aarhus at Tangkrogen.
  • 13:00 -  18:00      Bike checkin for KMD Challenge Aarhus
  • 14.00 - 14.45       Race briefing in Danish (in main event tent, Tangkrogen)
  • 15:00 -  15:45      Race briefing in English and German (in main event tent, Tangkrogen)
  • 17:00 -  20:00      Pasta Party at Tangkrogen (main event tent)

Sunday July 3rd

  • 06:00 - 07:30      T1 open for athletes - race bag check in
  • 08:00 - 17:00      Triathlon expo at Tangkrogen
  • 08:00                    Race start professionals
  • 08:05 - 08:55      Race start age groups
  • 10:15                    Cut off swim
  • 10:20                    Last participant out of T1
  • 12:05                    First pro crosses the finish line
  • 14:00                    Cut off bike
  • 17:00                    Cut off run
  • 17:30                    Award ceremony at Tangkrogen

 

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The distances are well known:

  • 1.9 km swimming
  • 90 km cycling
  • 21.1 km running

Swim course

The 1.9 km swim sets out from Tangkrogen and in front of Marselisborg Beach.
The spectacular exhibition, Sculpture by the Sea, which takes place at Marselisborg Beach during the period of Aarhus Challenge provides a beautiful setting for both the swimming and running course.
The swim is on a one looped course and for the athletes' safety the start groups will have approximately 250 to 300 participants in each.

Water temperatures are between 18 and 22 degrees and wetsuits are allowed and recommended.

Bike Course

The bike course takes participants south through the beautiful forest of Marselisborg to Odder and Skanderborg.
The technical and slightly hilly course offers challenges for participants on the 90 km bike ride.

The bike course is one looped and there are aid stations for every 30 kilometers fully equipped with energy drink, gels, fruit, water etc.

Run course

The final 21.1 km race takes place in three loops in a mix of forest, nature and vibrant city.
Beginning on the transition zone on Tangkrogen the participants run into Havreballe Forest and on towards downtown Aarhus where one of the Challenge Aarhus absolute most spectacular events awaits.

Participants will run through the art museum Aros and thereby combine sport and culture in a new and unexpected way.
There will be aid stations each 2 km equiped with gels, bars, energy drink, water, coke and fruit.

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Practical Information

With a well-developed rail network, airport close to town and a well-developed infrastructure in the centre of Aarhus, the city is perfect for an international triathlon event.

Event Center, start, finish line, transition zones, exhibition, registration etc. are located centrally on Tangkrogen at Marselisborg. The location is just outside the city of Aarhus and only a few kilometers from Aarhus’ many hotels and campsites.

For a successful KMD Challenge Aarhus it is important to be properly prepared. We advice all athletes not living in Aarhus, to arrive in Aarhus Friday or Saturday in order to be prepared for the race on Sunday the 3rd of July.

Race briefing will be held Saturday afternoon and we strongly recommend athletes to attend this meeting. The race briefing will be available in Danish, English and German. The final time plan for the weekend will be published early 2011.

On the following pages you can read about how you most easily travel to and from Aarhus, plan accommodation and get around the city of smile.

 

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Entry 2011

Join Challenge Aarhus and take part in the premiere of a unique half-distance triathlon.

Race date is July 3rd 2011.

Included in your registration fee is:

  • Timing - including live updates online
  • Energy products during the race
  • Athletes Garden with food, drinks and massages after the race
  • Finisher T-shirt
  • Challenge Aarhus medal
  • Ticket to the Pasta Party
  • Unique Gift

Price Structure


Individual starters
  From Until (All prices inkl. VAT)
  December 8th 2010

January 31st 2011

925 DKK (est. 125 EUR)
  February 1st 2011 April 17th 2011 1.050 DKK (est. 140 EUR)
  April 18th 2011 June 19th 2011 1.240 DKK (est. 165 EUR)
Relay starters
  From Until (All prices including VAT)
  December 8th 2010  January 31st 2011 1.075 DKK (est. 145 EUR)
  February 1st 2011 April 17th 2011 1.200 DKK (est. 160 EUR)
  April 18th 2011 June 19th 2011 1.400 DKK (est. 185 EUR)

Options

  • Money back, no questions asked Insurance - 125 DKK (est. 17 EUR)
  • One-day License* - 75 DKK (est. 10 EUR)

(*mandatory if you dont hold a license from your national federation)

 

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NEWS

THANK YOU to our volunteers

14 JUL 2011

Volunteers are a very important part of Challenge triathlon events. And we - the organizers of KMD Challenge Aarhus on Sunday July 3rd as well as KMD 4:18:4 and the Junior Challenge - are very proud of the volunteers at our triathlon events in Aarhus. You guys really had a very big and important part in helping the athletes and creating a unique and tense atmosphere on the course and in the transition zones.

THANKS YOU. You guys make the difference with your enthusiasm and cheers when the athletes' legs hurt the most and they needed a hand and a kind word. This makes us proud and happy. In Challenge history the volunteers play an equal important role as the participants and we truly feel that the Danish Challenge Family can live up to the motto of the global Challenge Family:

"We are triathlon".

/The organizers of KMD Challenge Aarhus

 

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Petraeus and Steffen take the titles

03 JUL 2011
Press release - July 3rd: Rasmus Petraeus and Caroline Steffen victorious in KMD Challenge Aarhus

 

Rasmus Petraeus pulled off a small upset at the inaugural KMD Challenge Aarhus today. The heavy favourites was Rasmus Henning and Martin Jensen, but unfortunately for Rasmus Henning he had to pull out of the race after the swim with the same (and unexplainable) heavy cramping he experienced in Abu Dhabi in March.

The race should be open for Martin Jensen to run away with the win, but 21 year old Rasmus Petraeus had his running legs working well for him in this race and slowly reeled in the heavy bikers on the hilly and scenic run through downtown and the arts museum ARoS.

He finished the half iron-distance race in 3:48:18 (the swim was shortened to 1,000 metres due to a water temperature of 13,8. Danish rules state that no open water swim longer than 1,000 metres is legal with a temperature of under 14 degrees celcius.)

"It seems a bit unreal right now that I have won the race, but I'm really happy to have established my name now and proven Rasmus Henning and Martin Jensen and the rest of the Danish triathlon community that I'm one to look out for. I like the role of underdog. Last year I won the Danish long distance championships but neither Martin Jensen nor Rasmus Henning was there. Today both of them were at the starting line with me, but I crossed the finish line first. I had been hoping for a bit more competition from them, but now it just feels great to have done this," the happy winner said.

Jensen disappointed with another second place finish
Martin Jensen was very disappointed about his second place. He was the obvious candidate for the victory when Rasmus Henning had to pull out, and he really felt that he could win. Jensen was the second man out of the water after Rasmus Petraeus and also the second one coming in on the bike - this time after the über biker Björn Andersson.

"I started off the run quite well and knew that I could overtake Björn in the run at some point. I followed my strategy all the way, but after 16 km on the run, I just didn't have more in me. Rasmus came from behind, and he really had good running legs today, so I just couldn't keep up with him. I'm really disappointed about not winning today but in triathlon the strongest man wins and today that was Rasmus Petraeus," Martin Jensen says.

Caroline Steffen took a fantastic win
The current ITU LD World Champion Caroline Steffen, Switzerland, had looked forward to test her form in KMD Challenge Aarhus today. The hilly and challenging bike course with many technical turns and the run through downtown Aarhus and the arts museum was a big experience for the Kona 2010 runner up.

She finished in a time of 4:04:16, 12 minutes ahead of swede Eva Nyström and the Danish champ on the distance Michelle Vesterby who was in third place a further minute and a half back.

 

Caroline Steffen:


"I really enjoyed the race today. It was fun to run around in the city centre and I also liked the stairs leading up to the arts museum. I alternately took one step with one leg and two with the other one. I stuck to my plan all during the race. I knew that Lucie Zelenkova is a really good swimmer, so I stuck to her but was unsure about my placement when coming out of the water. The bike course was technically challenging and varied which is just perfect for me. The run was not too hard, and I felt pretty good all the way and had good acceleration after every turn. It was my first Challenge race and I definitely liked it. The fact that they call it Challenge Family probably just makes it a bit more easy-going and fun."

Michelle Vesterby


"Challenge Aarhus was a really good race. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely be back next year. However, I was a bit disappointed about not getting a 2nd place as I had been hoping for, but I simply could not keep up with Eva on the run. It was a shame for me that the swim was shortened as I usually create more distance to my competitors in that discipline. But I had a good rythm on the bike and actually also on the run; I stuck to my plan, but just could not keep up with Eva. She is a really solid runner, and I just did not have any more energy for the last round on the run, so she could easilly overtake me in the end. The run course was really tough - especially the second and third run up the stairs at ARoS were extremely hard."

Eva Nyström: 
"I actually only expected to make it to top-5, so I'm very happy to finish second. The shortened swim was good for me, but I didn't really know my place after coming out of the water. On the bike course I passed three or four girls, but it wasn't until the run that I realised I only had two people in front of me. I felt pretty good out there and enjoyed the race. The run course was not really hard, and I think the stairs leading up to the museum were a nice change."

Beautiful debut in Aarhus
Today was the debut for KMD Challenge Aarhus and the stage had been set for a really exciting race - not least with a spectacular run course taking the athletes through the city centre including the local art museum ARoS. Due to low water temperature, the organisers had to rearrange the swimming by shortening the course 1.9 km to 1 km.

That changed the scene a bit and did not leave as big a gap between the athletes after the swim as usual on the half iron-distance. Rasmus Petraeus was the first athlete out of the water, but as Björn Andersson from Sweden is known as a muscle machine on the bike, he quickly took the lead. After 45 km he was leading by 4:30 minutes down to Emil Dalgaard and Martin Jensen.

After changing to his running shoes, Martin Jensen quickly overtook Emil Dalgaard and now slowly moved in on Björn Andersson. With about 7 km to go the race was as close as could be when Björn Andersson, Martin Jensen and now Rasmus Petraeus were running shoulder to shoulder in a crowded Ryesgade where the shops were open. Not long after Martin and Björn fell short of energy and left the stage open for Rasmus Petraeus to take the win.

 

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Important information regarding the swim at KMD Challenge Aarhus

02 JUL 2011


We have two important announcements regarding the swim at KMD Challenge Aarhus:
- There WILL be swimming tomorrow morning. The health inspector for Western Denmark and our Head Race Marshal Jesper Kloppenborg have in accordance inspected the water quality and have come to the conclusion that it is safe to swim. However, there will be some changes to the course: It is now a out-and-back one loop swim - 500 meters each way.
- Because of the water temperature, which has been measured to 13.2 degrees celsius this afternoon, in accordance with the rules of the Danish Triathlon Federation for open water swimming, it is not allowed to swim more than 1,000 meters in water below 14 degrees celcius. THEREFORE: You will be swimming 500 meters out, turn around a bouy, and swim 500 meters back. The start is from Tangkrogen and you will exit the water and switch to the bike in T1 as normal.
- This is the suggestion from our Head Race Marshal Jesper Kloppenborg, and the Challenge Family backs this decision.

There are rules to be followed, and most important to us is the safety of the athletes so we follow the rules of open water swimming and the conclusion made by the Head Race Marshal. We hope that you will respect the decision that has been made.

We will have a race briefing tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. and continuously through the morning over the speakers where we will list these things again so everyone is clear on the information.

Because of the shortened swim course, we will move the first start back by 10 minutes to be able to follow the rest of the schedule. All starting times will be pushed 10 minutes: The men's elite start is at 8.10, the elite women at 8.15 and so forth with the different waves.

1 minute of silence for dead triathlete
10 minutes before the start we will have a 1 minute silence to honor the man who tragically had a heart attack when exiting the water after Sunday's open swim practice. The man later died in the hospital. He was supposed to have participated at KMD Challenge Aarhus tomorrow, and one of his friends who is competing tomorrow has asked - in accordance with the deceased man's family - to wear the deceased triathlete's chip. As organizers, we have agreed to this request so the friend and family can honor their loved one.

We have been working really hard to try and solve this problem Mother Nature threw at us so that you guys can have your race. We really hope that you guys will be able to have an experience of a life time and try to turn your focus on race day towards having a really good experience with the sport of triathlon and racing in this unique course in beautiful Aarhus.

KMD Challenge Aarhus

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KMD Challenge Aarhus 
Aarhus, Denmark
July 3, 2011
S .6 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi. 

Results

Elite Men

1. Rasmus Petraeus (DEN) 3:48:18
2. Martin Jensen (DEN) 3:49:10
3. Mads Vittrup-Pedersen (DEN) 3:50:14
4. Emil Dalgard (DEN) 3:50:41
5. Erik-Simon Strijk (NED) 3:51:06
6. Bjorn Andersson (SWE) 3:52:37
7. Dejan Patrcevic (CRO) 3:54:40
8. Chris Fischer (DEN) 3:54:46
9. David Dellow (AUS) 3:56:44
10. Daniel Halksworth (GBR) 3:58:37

Elite Women

1. Caroline Steffen (SUI) 4:04:16
2. Eva Nystrom (SWE) 4:16:36
3. Michelle Vesterby (DEN) 4:18:11
4. Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) 4:22:21
5. Eimear Mullan (IRL) 4:22:37
6. Linda Schuecker (GER) 4:24:34
7. Asa Lundstrom (DEN) 4:27:50
8. Maja Stage Nielsen (DEN) 4:32:31
9. Jessica Fleming (AUS) 4:34:03
10. Helene Pellesen (DEN) 4:38:52

 

Petraeus, Steffen take Challenge Aarhus

TIMOTHY CARLSON Sun Jul 03 2011 | https://www.slowtwitch.com/

When heavy favorite Rasmus Henning pulled out due to cramps that have plagued him this year, another Rasmus took a surprise win in the men’s race at Challenge Aarhus. 

Rasmus Petraueus beat fellow Dane Martin Jensen by 52 seconds and Ironman Hawaii runner-up Caroline Steffen of Switzerland devastated women’s runner-up Eva Nystrom of Sweden by 12 minutes 20 seconds at the half-distance Challenge Aarhus in Denmark.

Petraeus combined a race-best 10:58 swim [shortened to 1 kilometer due to cold water], a 6th-best 2:15:58 bike and a third-best 1:16:56 half marathon to hit the finish first in 3:48:18 and top fellow Dane Martin Jensen by 52 seconds. Petraeus led out of the swim then Jensen’s 2:13:46 bike overtook Petraeus and gave the younger Dane a 1:55 lead at T2, but then Petraeus retook control of the race with a third-best 1:16:56 run that was 2:37 better than Jensen’s run. Mads Vittrup-Pedersen made it an all-Danish podium with a 57th-best 13:34 swim, 11th-best 2:17:39 bike and a race-best 1:14:42 run to take third, 1:56 behind Petraeus. 

"It seems a bit unreal right now that I have won the race, but I'm really happy to have established my name now and proven Rasmus Henning and Martin Jensen and the rest of the Danish triathlon community that I'm one to look out for,” Petraeus told race organizers. “I like the role of underdog. Last year I won the Danish long distance championships but neither Martin Jensen nor Rasmus Henning was there. Today both of them were at the starting line with me, but I crossed the finish line first. I had been hoping for a bit more competition from them, but now it just feels great to have done this.” 

Jensen was deeply disappointed that he could not win after Henning pulled out. Jensen was the second man out of the water after Rasmus Petraeus and also the second one coming in on the bike - this time after Björn Andersson, who posted a 2:11:22 split. .

"I started off the run quite well and knew that I could overtake Björn in the run at some point,” said Jensen. “But after 16 km on the run, I just didn't have more in me. Rasmus came from behind, and he really had good running legs today, so I just couldn't keep up with him. I'm really disappointed about not winning today but in triathlon the strongest man wins and today that was Rasmus Petraeus.” 

Aside from her fifth-best 12:23 swim that gave up 15 seconds to Lucie Zelenkova of the Czech Republic, Caroline Steffen completely dominated the women’s race at Aarhus. Steffen’s 2:20:48 not only was 9 minutes-plus better than third-place Michelle Vesterby of Denmark, it was merely 4 minutes 50 seconds slower than the cycling split of the men’s champion. Steffen closed the door with a women’s third-best 1:25:33 half marathon that simply 1:42 slower than fifth-place overall Eimear Mullan of Ireland and 45 seconds slower than overall runner-up Nystrom. 

Certainly there was no need for Steffen to push the run, as she hit the line in 4:04:16 with 12 minutes in hand over runner-up Nystrom and 13:55 over third-place Michelle Vesterby of Denmark. 

 



Challenge Aarhus bike course check with Rasmus Henning - KMD Challenge Aarhus July 3rd 2011.

 


 

ChallengeAarhus.com