After ITU Long Distance Worlds, I went straight back to training, with my goal being to peak for the highlight of the summer – the DATEV Challenge Roth. I arrived into Roth 10 days early in order to train on the race course. Right before I left for Bavaria, we celebrated the successful completion of Alicia’s PhD and her birthday. We stayed two nights at a spa hotel in the north of Luxembourg. This area is called “Little Switzerland” and it turned out to be very scenic and enjoyable.

Once we arrived in Roth, time flew by at light-speed. There were plenty of meetings and appointments to keep me busy during race week. At the beginning of the week I was feeling the nerves, but on the Friday and Saturday before the race everything started to fall into place, and I was calm and focused on doing my job.

Race day presented great weather conditions and I knew it would be a fast one. Right from the gun, I found myself in a small lead pack and I was able to swim fairly comfortably. Then, everything started to happen very quickly. I got out of water with a few other guys and I made an incredibly fast transition to get on the bike with a minute lead. Once I was on the bike, I settled straight into race pace and didn’t look back.

After a bit of time passed, I finally glanced behind and didn’t see anyone there. That’s when the biggest decision of the day was made. I opted for “Mission Solo” and put the hammer down. It was a risky move, but I felt confident that I was able to ride the whole bike course on my own. After just 15K I already had a two- minute lead on the group behind me. I chose not to think too much about the third leg of the race and just focused on my watts. I put my head down, stared diligently at my SRM and went for it.

I had goosebumps going up the largest hills, with the deep crowds lining the biggest climbs. Time didn’t pass by very quickly, so I had to play a few mind games with myself. At kilometre 135,

I heard that Timo Bracht had a puncture, and that the group behind me was falling apart. That’s when I really saw my chance and stepped up my game.

I increased my lead from three to seven minutes going into T2, and had about 11minutes on the dangerous runners.

My legs were tired as I ran through T2 but I was still able to hit my splits. At kilometre four, I was informed about my exact lead, but I didn’t give it too much thought and focused on staying at my planned pace. The fastest runners, James Cunnama and Timo were over 11 minutes back at the first turn around. The scariest part of the run course, the incredibly long and hot stretch along the canal, was coming up. The temperature started to heat up and my energy slowly started to decrease. Despite feeling pretty bad,

I didn’t back off too much from my pace. Coach Michael Krueger, my wife Alicia and my support crew did an excellent job updating me every few kilometres.

At kilometre 30, my willpower had to stay strong as I started to feel the effort of the day in a significant way. Just four kilometres before the finish line, I saw coach for the last time, and he let me know that with a bit of effort I could go sub- 7:50. Man, I hated him at that moment— I thought I would be able to cruise the last few kilometres and soak in the crowd and atmosphere. Instead, I kept pushing myself. My lead was over 12 minutes to James but sub-7:50 was just too tempting, so I used what energy I had left to keep it together for the final stretch.

During the last kilometre before I ran into the stadium, I heard the massive crowds yelling, and I had goosebumbs the entire way. Entering the stadium was overwhelming for me. As soon as I saw the clock read 7:51, I decided to walk the last few metres and allow it all to soak in. couldn’t believe that I was winning the race that I watched so many times as a kid, running along with the likes of Hellriegel, Zaeck and Leder. Emotions took over when I crossed the line, and when they handed me the microphone, I couldn’t control it anymore. That was definitely the most emotional and successful race of my career.

Despite a big PB, I posted the fifth fastest time that was ever achieved in a long distance triathlon, and the fastest time of anyone this year. The aftermath felt surreal, since the next days were so filled up with appointments. I couldn’t have picked a better time for this win, since all of my sponsor contracts run out at the end of the year. We left Roth two days after the race, went straight to the airport and caught a flight for Oslo.

Now I am sitting near the Fjords and enjoying some relaxing time for the body and soul. Races like this take a lot out of me, and it is important to have some time to rest, which is all I have to do for the next 10 days. Thanks for sharing in this big moment with me, and please feel free to follow me on the road to Kona this year, which starts at the beginning of August.

FILED UNDER: Blogs TAGS: Blog / Challenge Roth / Dirk-Bockel / Race / report / Triathlon