Challenge Family’s Nordic Expansion Continues

It seems like Challenge Family has been announcing a new race every month for the last little while — the latest is Challenge Turku in one of Finland’s most historic cities.

The inaugural race is set to take place in August, but it’s not an entirely new event. Previously the Turku Triathlon Weekend, the race will now exist under Challenge Family but remain a “whole weekend experience filled with triathlon”. On Saturday, August 13th the junior and short distance races will take place. The next day is the half distance Challenge Turku.

Challenge Family’s Nordic expansion includes the addition of Challenge Iceland recently as well as a raft of new sponsors in the region, such as 2XU. The brand also has races in Denmark and Norway. CEO Zibi Szlufcik says, “Turku’s rich cultural history and astonishing natural beauty makes it a great place to race and holiday and we’re excited to have Challenge Turku as part of the Challenge Family.”

The race will be spectator friendly. The entire swim leg, taking place in the mouth of Turku’s river, can be viewed from the riverbanks. With many historic ships docked nearby, race organizers say the swim course will be like “a tour in an open-air museum”.

The bike course takes place on a visible highway and the run takes place along riverbanks through the city centre. The finish line at the city’s Varvintori Square draws locals to cheer and support triathletes as they cross.