Keep the pre-race nerves at bay and make sure you get the full race weekend experience at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam. From the key timings for the pre-race essentials, to the side events you won’t want to miss. We’ve got all the details covered!
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for more Challenge Almere insights you can read our race guide, get our race day tips or read our advice on coping with the head wind if those notorious Almere winds blow on race day.
Key timings: registration, briefings, bike check-in and race morning
First up let’s start with the most important details: that vital pre-race admin so you know exactly where you need to be and when. It’s also worth knowing that a change for 2024 is all age-group race briefings are now held online, rather than in person. You’ll be able to watch the briefing on the Almere-Amsterdam YouTube channel on Friday 13th September.
Long distance triathlon and aquabike pre-race schedule
REGISTRATION
Time: 11am – 8pm
Location: Theater, Kunstlinie (Esplanade 10, 1315 TA Almere, Netherlands)
How to get there: 10 minute walk from Almere Centrum station; closest bus stations ‘Passage’ or ‘Flevoziekenhuis’; parking (paid) close by, follow signs to ‘Hennepveld’ car park.
What to bring: Entry confirmation email, national federation race licence (if applicable), photo ID
Note: Bicycles are not allowed into the theater building so if you plan to go straight from registration to bike check-in ensure you have someone to look after your bike or you can leave it (at your own risk) under supervision in the temporary bike rack on the Esplanade.
BIKE AND TRANSITION BAG CHECK-IN
Time: 11.15am – 8.30pm
Location: Lumiere Park
How to get there: 750m walk from the Esplanade
What to bring: bike and helmet with race stickers attached, bib number (place this in your bike gear bag), red bike gear bag, blue run gear bag. Athletes racing in the Age Group European Championship event must also bring their uniform to be checked (however you do not have to leave this in your transition bags).
carbo loading party
Time: 5.30pm
Location: Theater, Kunstlinie (Esplanade 10, 1315 TA Almere, Netherlands)
Tickets: Athletes get automatic entry, extra tickets for supporters can be purchased at the ticket desk in the theatre (12 EUR for under 12s / 25 EUR for adults)
Transition area open
Time: 6am
Location: Lumiere Park
How to get there: Walking distance from Almere-Centrum, shuttle buses available from Hotel Van Der Valk from 5.30am every 30 mins (7 EUR per person, register by emailing [email protected])
What to bring: swim gear incl. official race cap; timing chip; nutrition and hydration to put on your bike/in your gear bags plus any other loose items you will be fixing to your bike (such as your computer and cycling shoes); green streetwear bag with clothes for post-race.
Transition closes at 7am for long distance athletes. It takes approximately 10 minutes or so to walk from transition to the start area.
Good to know: You can access your transition bags and your bike on race morning for any last checks. If you bring a bike pump, you are not allowed to leave this in your green streetwear bag. Instead label it with your race number and leave it separately at the green bag hand in.
RACE START TIMES
Elite races: 7.10am – 7.25am
Para triathlon: 7.27am
European championship: Male AG 18-44 7.30am, Male AG 45+ 7.35am, Female (all AGs) 7.40am
Open race: 7.50am (all AGs)
TriTogether relay and long distance Aquabike: 7.52am
award ceremony
Time: 11am – 12 noon
Location: Finish stadium (Esplanade)
Middle distance triathlon and aquabike pre-race schedule
REGISTRATION
Time: 1.30pm – 8pm
Location: Theater, Kunstlinie (Esplanade 10, 1315 TA Almere, Netherlands)
How to get there: 10 minute walk from Almere Centrum station; closest bus stations ‘Passage’ or ‘Flevoziekenhuis’; parking (paid) close by, follow signs to ‘Hennepveld’ car park.
What to bring: Entry confirmation email, national federation race licence (if applicable), photo ID
Note: Bicycles are not allowed into the theater building so if you plan to go straight from registration to bike check-in ensure you have someone to look after your bike or you can leave it (at your own risk) under supervision in the temporary bike rack on the Esplanade.
BIKE AND TRANSITION BAG CHECK-IN
Time: 1.30pm – 8.30pm
Location: Lumiere Park
How to get there: 750m walk from the Esplanade
What to bring: bike and helmet with race stickers attached, bib number (place this in your bike gear bag), red bike gear bag, blue run gear bag.
Good to know: Middle distance athletes do have the option to register and check in their bike/gear bags last minute on Saturday morning – however it is strongly recommended that you do all of this on Friday if possible to reduce your race day stress!
carbo loading party
Time: 5.30pm
Location: Theater, Kunstlinie (Esplanade 10, 1315 TA Almere, Netherlands)
Tickets: Athletes get automatic entry, extra tickets for supporters can be purchased at the ticket desk in the theatre (12 EUR for under 12s / 25 EUR for adults)
Last minute registration for middle distance event only
Time: 6.30am – 8.30am
Location: Theater, Kunstlinie (Esplanade 10, 1315 TA Almere, Netherlands)
What to bring: Entry confirmation email, national federation race licence (if applicable), photo ID
Transition area open
Time: 6am – 9.15am
Location: Lumiere Park
How to get there: Walking distance from Almere-Centrum, shuttle buses available from Hotel Van Der Valk from 5.30am every 30 mins (7 EUR per person, register by emailing [email protected])
What to bring: swim gear incl. official race cap; timing chip; nutrition and hydration to put on your bike/in your gear bags plus any other loose items you will be fixing to your bike (such as your computer and cycling shoes); green streetwear bag with clothes for post-race.
Good to know: It takes approximately 10 minutes or so to walk from transition to the start area. You can access your transition bags and your bike on race morning for any last checks. If you bring a bike pump, you are not allowed to leave this in your green streetwear bag. Instead label it with your race number and leave it separately at the green bag hand in.
RACE START TIMES
Middle distance para triathlon: 9.45am
Middle distance age group triathlon, relay and aquabike: Rolling start from 9.50am
award ceremony
Time: 12 noon – 1pm
Location: Finish stadium (Esplanade)
Pre-race training in Almere
Arriving in Almere a few days early and looking to get those final taper week sessions ticked off? Here’s what you need to know.
Official swim course recce
The swim at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam takes place in the Weerwater, a manmade lake created by sand excavations. The official swim course recce takes place on Thursday September 12th from 3.30-4.30pm (local time) starting from the official swim start area at the Esplanade.
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam swim course [Photo: Jose Luis Hourcade]
During the swim recce, you’ll also have the opportunity to test out some FORM goggles – the perfect opportunity to try them out if you’re thinking about getting a pair to work on your swim training with focus during the off season.
It’s worth noting that while the Weerwater is open to the public, swimming there outside of the official swim recce is very much at your own risk – particularly as the water is a shared space with boats and water sports. If you can’t make the swim recce but you’d like to get a final open water swim ticked off, you might want to check out Almeerder Beach or Almere Haven beach as alternatives as these are billed as family friendly and safe for swimming.
Bike course familiarisation
As you’d expect from the Netherlands, Almere has an extremely good network of cycle paths. But that does mean the roads you’ll cycle on come race day are not open to cyclists at any other time. In fact, it’s actually illegal to ride on them – so resist the temptation to go and ride the course on your own! You can see the official bike course here, and there are plenty of cycle paths that run close to it so you can check it out without getting into trouble.
There’s also an organised group ride on Wednesday 11th September to ride some of the more technical sections of the bike course. The group will meet at 10am at the Van der Linde bike shop in Almere and the route is 35-45 kilometres long.
Check out the run course
The run course is a 10km lap around the Weerwater lake. It’s a really nice route, and perfect for that final shake out run in the days before the race – you can see the route and download the GPX here. There’s also an opportunity to join a group who will be walking a lap of the run course on Thursday 12th September, meeting at the Van der Linde bike shop at 10am.
Side events for all the family
Alongside the main long and middle distance triathlon and aquabike events happening on Saturday 14th September. There’s a real festival of multisport going on in Almere over race weekend, which means your family and support crew can also get in on the action. Get yourself geared up for race day and head out to support these events – it’s the perfect way to soak up the atmosphere and get yourself excited to hit the start line!
Junior Challenge
Race weekend kicks off with the opportunity to see future triathlon superstars in action at the Junior Challenge, taking place at 3pm at the Esplanade. Organised in partnership with a local high school, the race features a 400m swim, 9km bike and a 2km run and is aimed at secondary school-age teens. There are two categories: over 16s and under 16s.
Find out more here.
Family relay
After the Junior Challenge, there’s a family (and business) relay triathlon at 5pm. The minimum age to take part is 8 years old, so families can participate together – or grown up support crews can team up to get competitive. At the time of writing, registration is still possible, visit the site for more details.
Senior and No Limit Challenge
On Friday 13 September, there are recreational triathlons for those with intellectual disabilities and those over 55. These events feature a pool swim, a guided bike ride around Almere and a walk. There are breaks between the disciplines and lunch is provided. Find out more here.
Kids Run
For younger children who aren’t quite ready to take on the full Junior Challenge swim-bike-run event, there’s a kids run happening on Friday 13 September from 4.30pm (local time). Aimed at kids aged between 3-12 years old, children have the option to participate in a 500m, 1km or 2km running race around Almere.
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam
When things start to get tough on race day and you find yourself wanting to slow down, don’t forget that Challenge Almere is an official qualifier for the Challenge The Championship! To get a guaranteed slot, you’ll need to finish in the top 6 in your age group – though slots may roll down so don’t despair and keep an eye on your inbox in the weeks after the race, just in case.
Race strong at Challenge Almere for your chance to qualify for The Championship [Photo Credit – Challenge Family]
The Championship takes place at the X-Bionic Sphere in Slovakia each May, attracting a world-class field of PROs as well as some of the most competitive age-groupers from around the world. It’s a bucket list event to experience, so use that as motivation to keep pushing yourself in the closing stages of Challenge Almere-Amsterdam.
Special prizes – the race within a race
Alongside awards for the top 3 finishers in each 5 year age category, there are also some special prizes to be won.
Clock the fastest bike time (long and middle distance races) and you could win an ABUS Gamechanger helmet. Set the fastest running split and there’s an X-Bionic Dragen Fly tri suit on offer. And for those who use the app, MUUVR, those who earn the most EXP points by logging their activity in the app can win a Challenge Family X-Bionic cycling top.
Dutch participants in the European Championship event are also eligible for age group titles in the Dutch Championship.
Spectator hot spots and live broadcast
Spectators have an important job on race day, so fuel up and get ready to bring your very best cheerleading energy to race day! After the swim start, take the 10 minute stroll over to the Lumiere beach to see the athletes coming out of the water and heading out onto the bike course.
The closed roads can make it tricky to get out on to the bike course, so now is a good time to enjoy the beach front cafes back at the Esplanade – or if your athlete is doing the long distance event, you could head up to the turn around point (see course map below) to give them a boost before they head off on their second lap.
During the run, you can either set up camp near the finish line at the Esplanade and be part of the finish line party atmosphere. Or head out to the opposite side of the lake and position yourself in the highlighted area below (see course map) between kilometres 4-6. You’ll get to see the athletes 3 times here per lap and it can be a nice place to get an extra boost of motivation when the excitement of the finish line area has died down.
Supporters watching at home can also tune into the live broadcast via the Challenge Family YouTube channel with live commentary (in English) from triathlon legend Belinda Granger. Locals can also catch the race on live TV with Dutch commentary.
Looking for more tips and tricks to calm the pre-race nerves? Check out our Challenge Almere-Amsterdam race day tips. Or read our Let’s Race guide… where you’ll find more details on the course and recommendations for the best things to do in the area post-race.
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. This website makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact editor @americanfork.business
