Challenge Gdańsk: Menno Koolhaas chasing back-to-back wins

Dutchman Menno Koolhaas will be chasing his second consecutive win this weekend, as the Challenge Geraardsbergen winner looks to take back-to-back victories as he heads to the Baltic coast.

In the women’s race, German Anne Reichsmann will be chasing a win after taking third at IRONMAN 70.3 Switzerland, with a strong men and women’s fields competing for a slice of the prize purse and some Challenge Family Bonus points.

In our preview piece below, you can find all the information you need on start times, how to follow the race via the tracker and details on who might challenge Koolhaas and Reichsmann for the win.

Start times and how to follow live

Challenge Gdansk 2023 will take place on Sunday, June 18.

The race starts with the men at 08:00 local time, followed by the women’s race at 08:02. That’s 06:00 and 06:02 UK time, 07:00 and 07:02 CET time and 01:00 and 01:02 Eastern time.

There is no live streaming of the event, but updated results will be available under the Results area of the official race website.

Pro Men

The big name in the men’s race is PTO World #46 Koolhaas, who is looking to take his second win in as many weeks, but will face a stiff challenge from some other strong athletes in the North of Poland.

Kacper Stepniak, the winner of IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw, is another athlete chasing consecutive victories, after the PTO World #72 beat a strong field that included Danish ace Miki Taagholt on home turf last weekend.

Alongside Koolhaas and Stepniak, Spaniard Pablo Dapena Gonzalez, racing for the first time this season, is the highest ranked athlete in the field at PTO World #31, with the BMC athlete hoping to kick off his year with some success in Poland.

Finally, Ognjen Stojanovic, the Serbian who took second behind Koolhaas in Geraardsbergen, finishing ahead of Brit Joe Skipper, will race in Gdansk, as he looks to take his third Challenge podium of the year and boost his position in the World Bonus standings after third at Challenge Frejus and second at Challenge Geraardsbergen.

Pro Women

In the women’s race, German duo Reichsmann and Daniela Kleiser lead the field, with Reichsmann looking like the clear favourite after a strong start to the season, which has included a podium in Switzerland, fifth in Kraichgau and 13th at the PTO Tour European Open in Ibiza.

Kleiser, who has also raced well so far this year, with podium performances at Challenge St Polten and IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella, will hope a podium in Poland can boost her ranking and push her into the World Top 50, as she currently sits just on the periphery at PTO World #64.

Outside of the two Germans, young British pro Megan McDonald might find herself in a battle for the final podium spot, with the PTO World #97 capable of solidifying her position in the Top 100 with a good result, after finishing 3rd at Challenge Gran Canaria and sixth at Challenge Salou.

Finally, Maria Czesnik and Agnieszka Jerzyk lead the charge from the home nation, with Czesnik in particular, who finished fifth last weekend at IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw, looking capable of repeating her podium performance from 2022 at this event.

Prize Money: What’s on the line?

The prize purse on offer this weekend is EUR 19,000 – with each of the winners collecting a EUR 3,500 share of that total.

The total funds will be paid six-deep, as follows:

1. €3,500
2. €2,100
3. €1,400
4. €1,150
5. €850
6. €500

As a Challenge Family event, there’s also another potential source of earnings for athletes too, courtesy of the Challenge Family World Bonus!

Challenge Family offers a $125,000 bonus pot, which is paid out as $25k / $16.5k / $12k / $6k / $3k to the top five ranked male and female athletes across the Challenge Family/CLASH Endurance race season.