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Poland in June? With a swim in the Baltic Sea? Sounds perishing! Well actually no, with average water temperatures of 19.5°C you’ll be hard pushed to find that in the UK at the start of summer.
What’s more, the award-winning Challenge Gdansk offers one of the fastest middle-distance bike courses in the world, excellent spectator support throughout and a finish-line experience like no other.
As for the city, if you like a side order of culture with your racing then Gdansk is steeped in it, offering a complete travel experience once the physical exertion is done and dusted.
Location - Coast meets city
Gdańsk is Poland’s principal seaport, and sits on the Baltic coast in the north of the country. As an important commercial and cultural centre, the city has an international airport that’s just 40 minutes from the city centre, making it a superb race/city-break option from across Europe.
The race itself gives you plenty of opportunity to appreciate the location, with the bike course taking you past the EURO2012 stadium and a stunning run course along the beach culminating at the award-winning finish line on the beautiful Gdansk Prior Pier. And of course, once the swim-bike-run action is ticked off – this city is packed with culture to experience.
Why race... Challenge Gdansk
Challenge Gdańsk is a great addition to any race calendar. Here’s why:
Course - Lightning fast racing
This pancake-flat course will see you hit the finish line in your fastest time yet. And when you get there – get ready to party Polish style!
Swim - 1.9km
The single transition is a 5min walk to the rolling start on the beach, ready for the 1.9km one-lap swim in the Baltic Sea. You'll get in next to the Gdansk Brzeźno Pier, making one single anti-clockwise loop before you exit the water and head back to transition. The average water temperature for June is 19.5 degrees Celsius, so plan for a wetsuit-legal swim.
BIke - 90km
The bike course consists of three 30km laps and includes a tunnel under the Vistula river as well as passing the iconic Energa Stadion, used for the EURO2012 tournament. Get ready for the crowds at the turnaround point for the second lap as it’s within easy walking distance from the main race hub.
Run - 21.1km
The four-lap fast and flat run course takes you through forest, along the beautiful Gdańsk Beach and up to the Gdańsk Pier for a spectacular finish-line experience. There are also ample opportunities for spectators to cheer you on throughout the 21km route.
Race training & prep
Race organisers suggest two key pre-race prep must-dos – swim in the sea and get used to racing in hot conditions.
On arrival in Gdansk, you can swim at Brzeźno beach where two open practice sessions will take place on the Wednesday and Friday before the race. On the bike, you can ride on the road towards Elblag but the race-day course is not advised as it won’t be closed to traffic. For the run, you can access the entire course.
Travel & accommodation
Challenge Gdansk has teamed up with four hotels offering discounts up to 20% for all entrants when booking directly, many of which are only a couple of kilometres away from the race start area – ideal for a stress-free race morning! You can find full details on the travel page on the Challenge Gdansk website.
If you need to move around the city, Gdansk has great public transport links as well as Uber. On race day, public transport and parking is available to the race site.
Spectators - Multiple laps makes for spectator-friendly racing
For the supporters in your crew, there’s a Kids Aquathlon on the Friday and a Women’s Run on the Saturday.
To catch all the main race-day action, spectator hot spots will be dotted around the course. The turnaround point on the bike is within walking distance from the main race hub, giving you two opportunities to cheer your athlete on during the bike once you’ve waved them out of T1. And with the run course being 4 x 5.25km laps it’ll be easy to take a stroll along various points to soak up the atmosphere – and the scenery. The beach is also an ideal base as there are plenty of cafes and restaurants.
Race-cation - One for the history books
Despite being almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War, Gdansk is now one of the prettiest towns in all of Europe. Thanks to an extensive reconstruction effort, the Old Town is rich in both history and scenery, with many describing it as a mini Amsterdam owing to its network of canals.
Amazing bars, cafes and restaurants add to Gdansk’s appeal as a fantastic cultural getaway. Three places worth visiting during your trip include the Solidarity Museum, the Second World War Museum and Neptune’s Fountain at the Długi Targ in front of the entrance to the Artus Court – one of the most distinctive landmarks of the city, and dating from the 1600s.
As a souvenir, apart from your race medal of course, take back some Baltic amber. Ulica Mariacka, also known as Amber Street, is a picturesque cobbled street lined with numerous amber jewelers.
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