PTO buys Challenge London triathlon

The big announcement on the entire tour and the athletes who will be participating in the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) Tour won’t come until tomorrow, but we have another confirmed race in the schedule – London on July 27 and 28.

According to today’s press release, the PTO “has acquired the iconic Challenge London triathlon from Challenge Family.”

Formerly the London Triathlon, Challenge Family announced last May that it was taking over the event. (The photo above features Ironman world champion Sam Laidlow winning the race.) In its heyday, the London Triathlon attracted 14,000 participants, but it was reported that there were 5,000 participants at last year’s race.

London Triathlon becomes part of Challenge Family

“We’re very proud of the work the Challenge Family has done over the last year in building up this London race post the Covid pandemic, with the addition of the Challenge middle distance race,” said Challenge Family CEO Jort Vlam. “We know how much racing in such a world-renowned location adds to the profile of triathlon. So, in the best interests of the sport, it makes sense to collaborate with the PTO who we trust will provide the event with a chance to reach millions of people through mainstream media, serving our sport across the globe. That’s why we are happy to handover the keys of the city for the next chapter in this iconic event’s history.”

The event certainly fits into the PTO’s goal of providing races set in major venues.

“Our ambition to hold spectacular PTO Tour races in the centre of iconic cities around the world is something we’ve been very clear about – and this race in central London fits that criteria perfectly, which is why we’re delighted to be announcing its acquisition and the plan for the race to be part of the 2024 PTO Tour,” said PTO CEO Sam Renouf. “Since the PTO’s inception we have had a close partnership with Challenge Family, with shared ideals and ambition to grow the sport. Its history tells us this is a world class event and it’s very much our ambition to continue the good work Challenge started and return it to that status as one of the largest in the world.”

In addition to the PTO Tour event, the race will also include an age group race over the 100 km distance (2 km swim/ 80 km bike / 18 km run).

This is the fourth of the reported eight races in the PTO Tour that has been announced. Last week the PTO announced a race in Lake Las Vegas the week before the Ironman World Championship in Kona in October.

The remaining races in the Tour, along with the athletes who have signed contracts to compete, are to be announced tomorrow.