Race cancelled, but PTO and Challenge Family to distribute prize money to pros and age groupers

After Challenge Davos race organizers had to cancel the much-anticipated race on the weekend, the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and Challenge Family say they will distribute the prize money to pros and age group athletes. For the PTO the gesture signals its ongoing support (and healthy bank balance) for pro athletes, who have struggled in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Challenge Family will support age groupers.

The PTO will hand out the 21,000 Euros it had allocated to the race, distributing the money equally among the professionals who attended the race.

Challenge Family will apply the 19,000 Euros it was to award at the race towards “significantly reduced entry fees for next year’s race to all age grouper athletes who incurred the long hours of training and expenses to be alongside the professionals at the Challenge Davos 2020 start line.

“We share in the disappointment of the cancellation of Challenge Davos,” Charles Adamo, Executive Chairman of the PTO said in a release. “After what has been a difficult year, we were all looking forward to being inspired by both professionals and age groupers as they were prepared to put ondisplay the resolve and resilience thatis synonymous with our sport.We are very grateful to the Challenge Davos team, who at great expense, worked relentlessly to keep the race on the calendar in the face of all the Covid-19 restrictions. To see it foiled on race day by inclement weather is bitterly disappointing to the entire local team and all the volunteers who devoted their time and effort to make the race a possibility.We are pleased that the PTO and Challenge Family were able to work together so that that both professionals and age groupers are treated with respect and integrity when the event was forced to be cancelled by circumstances outside everyone’s control. While we know our PTO Professionals have had little opportunity to race and earn income this year, we appreciate all the training and expense that age groupers had to incur to get to the start line at Challenge Davos and it is a tribute to the unique camaraderie between age groupers and professionals in triathlon that we support one another, particularly in the unprecedented difficulties everyone has faced this year.”

“Of course it was a big disappointment for us to see the iconic Challenge Davos race cancelled due to bad weather, particularly as it was our first race in over six months because of Covid-19,” continued Challenge Family Chief Executive Officer Jort Vlam. “We are very grateful for all the supportive messages we received from professionals and age groupers alike, and for their understanding that athlete safety must always come first. We are pleased to have worked together with the PTO to support both professionals and age groupers. For Challenge Family, professionals and age groupers together form our triathlon family. It goes without saying that “family” is the most important reality for us, and we will always do everything within our power to support our family in difficult times.”