Challenge event in Norway cancelled after locals start driving on the course

The inaugural half-distance race at Challenge Sandefjord in Norway, which was also to be the Norwegian long-distance championship, was cancelled last weekend “for safety reasons on instruction from the local police,” organizers posted on social media.

“Athlete safety is paramount and we’d like to extend our thanks to local authorities for their hard work in testing conditions,” the update from Challenge Sandefjord organizers continued.

Note: We’ve reached out to Challenge Family for more details on the events from the weekend. Our contact was waiting to speak to staff who were at the race site for more details. We’ll update this story if more information from the race organizers becomes available.

A field of professional and age-group athletes from 26 countries were at the event in Sandefjord, Norway, which is about 120 km south of Oslo. The half-distance race was supposed to start at 1:30 pm, but was delayed for more than an hour before it was announced that the race would be cancelled. The local newspaper, the Sandefjords Blad, reported that people were driving on the course, ignoring the barriers and that another had “thrown drawing pins into the cycle lane.”

We have confirmed that at least some of the athletes competing in the super sprint race on Saturday morning (before the half-distance race) were pulled off the bike course after one of two loops because there were cars on the course. The “barriers they had to block the road were plastic tape,” one supporter reported, so cars were able to easily break through and get onto the course.

“Not proud to be Norwegian”

Triathlon Norway coach Arild Tveiten posted after the event, expressing his disappointment with the events of the day:

Its so sad. On a day like this you are not proud to be Norwegian. Triathlon promotes a healthy lifestyle and a positive mindset that have changed many people’s life. And likely the ones who sabotaged this could benefit of a more positive attitude and mindset😳 https://t.co/y5htVkyAmX

— Arild Tveiten (@ArildTveiten) August 24, 2024

Athletes complain event was “badly managed”

According to social media posts, forums and our own contact with athletes at the race, the event appeared to have difficulties even before the middle-distance race was cancelled. There were questions about the water quality and weather issues forced a change in the registration venue and the cancellation of the swim practice. According to numerous reports there was limited signage around the event, a shortage of volunteers, and the pre-race briefing was only in Norwegian.

This is a post from “catocumulus” from reddit:

I was also going to participate in the race on Saturday. I can confirm that the whole event felt badly managed. The pre-race briefing left participants more confused than before, about what type of nutrition was available (bottles or cups), if the water quality was good (the home page for the municipality had a “red light” warning for the day, urging people no to swim, but it is not clear if this is from an actual water quality test or just a precaution put in place after heavy rain), if and where there would be placed carpets and generally quite chaotic briefing.

Before the middle distance event, there was arranged a super sprint event, which was canceled mid race (or at least the bike). I talked to some of the participants and they told me it was almost no signs and/or guards in the streets. They said that nobody rode the right way and it was a complete disaster. I can confirm that the information to the participants standing in total for over an hour in our wet suits waiting to start was limited something like “We have to wait for green light from the police, they need to take a final check of the course” was the information given before they told us it was cancelled. In the evening we went out for drinks, there I talked to two people working in a bar who lives right outside the city, they told me they accidentally ended up in the middle of the course on their way to work. So it is clear that it at least is a combination of “sabotage” and understaffed/poorly managed and prepared event.

According to a later post on Facebook (see below), athletes have been given the opportunity to transfer their entry to selected events both this year and in 2025, but the 2025 Challenge Sandefjord event is not on that list.

Event organizers reported on Instagram yesterday that “Following extensive consultations with the police, the Junior Challenge, Super Sprint, Fun Run, and the Norwegian Youth National Championship were held as scheduled yesterday at Challenge Sandefjord.”