Austen Smith is reporting on Challenge Samarkand

Challenge appears to have a reputation for hosting races in iconic locations. Samarkand in Uzbekistan is one such location. Logistically its not the easiest, but there are worse. Getting to the event involved flying to Tashkent then catching a train to Samarkand, with the added difficulty of Uzbekistan’s taxi service not having an abundance of cars that can fit a Bike Box Alan. Thankfully I have local friends to help out and my Dolan bike was transported for me by a Tashkent triathlon shop.

The event is held at the Silk road complex which features a rectangular man made lake for the swim, which itself is surrounded by hotels walking distance from the race village, making the race day morning as stress free as possible .

I arrived on the Friday before the race, as I walked along the lake to the expo to collect my bike I could hear a fast runner coming up behind me, as they passed I realised it was Sam Laidlow.

Race day came and I gave Sam a head start that he took full advantage of. As with others I spoke with after the race my choice of goggles was not the best as glare from the sun meant I was unable to sight any of the buoys until I reached the turnaround point. Despite that I managed to put in a relatively good swim time, for me.

The first half of the bike section was quick and overall the bike course was extremely well organised. Police were at every junction and pedestrian crossings ensuring the roads were kept clear. Turns were also well signed and flagged. The return leg of the bike takes rider through the ancient (3000 years old) part of Samarkand. Whilst the bike course had the odd supporter, to my surprise the final turn before entering the ancient city was lined with a mass of people screaming support. The last 20km of the bike was rather difficult, not so much the long climbs but the strong head and cross winds made progress slow.

Back at the silk Road complex the run leg was four laps around the swim lake and by now the temperature had increased somewhat, this was somewhat eased by the run through shower at the start of each lap and the head wind for the first few kilometres of each lap, but that wind also made the run harder. Aid stations were well stocked and frequent enough, added to that the volunteers at each station provided additional support.

I had hoped for a sub 5 hour time but missed that by 12 minutes and ended up ninth in my age group. Despite that slight disappointment, during the awards ceremony, I was lucky enough to be one of ten drawn in the lottery for a slot at Roth.

By Austen Smith