Jannik Schaufler (GER) and Chloe Sparrow (GBR) have claimed impressive victories on a shortened Challenge St Pölten course in 3:44:30 and 4:25:51 respectively. Schaufler dominated the run and built up a lead of several minutes, while Sparrow led the entire day and had to dig deep in the final stretch to hold on to her lead and take the first professional middle distance win of her career.
Even though it was cold early on - the swim had to be shortened to 1500 metres - Challenge St Pölten took place under beautiful conditions. During the swim, Hannes Butters (GER) took an early lead, just as he did in last week’s The Championship, taking the initiative and posting the fastest swim time of 20:23. His fellow countryman Schaufler followed just four seconds behind, and Austrian Martin Demuth was also right there. Athletes such as Italian Michele Sarzilla, Belgian Christophe De Keyser, and German Florian Angert followed only fifteen seconds behind, maintaining a perfect connection.
It was no surprise these men came together on the always challenging bike course of Challenge St Pölten; only Sarzilla couldn’t keep up with the high pace and had to let the others go. On the other hand, German Jannik Stoll started catching up, making up over a minute and a half deficit from the swim.
Stoll Rides Everyone Off His Wheel
Stoll didn’t hold back at all, went full throttle, and biked so strongly that after 60km only Schaufler was still with him. That remained the case until T2, when the two entered the transition area just 11 seconds apart and started the half marathon as the leading pair. Will Draper (GBR) - who finished fourth last weekend at The Championship - started the run in third, trailing by 58 seconds. Florian Angert (GER), Rafael Lukatsch (AUT), and Martin Demuth (AUT) followed in fourth, fifth, and sixth places, with a deficit of 2:40.
During the half marathon, it quickly became clear that Schaufler was untouchable, giving no one a chance to catch up. Stoll rapidly lost time, and Schaufler appeared to be heading toward a certain victory. Midway through the run, Draper passed Stoll and moved into second place, though still over three minutes behind Schaufler. Meanwhile, Stoll helplessly watched others pass him as he lost his grip on a podium finish.
Schaufler Unstoppable, Strong Victory
In the final kilometres, Schaufler didn’t let go of his lead. He won the race in a time of 3:44:30. Draper finished second in 3:48:31, and Slovak Ondrej Kubo, who gained a few spots in the final stretch, came in third with a time of 3:50:48.
Chloe Sparrow in a League of Her Own
In the women’s race, there was only one woman who stood head and shoulders above the rest. British athlete Sparrow was so strong that she led from start to finish. Sparrow took the lead during the swim and completed her 1500 metres in 23:00 minutes. Frenchwoman Maëla Moison followed 23 seconds later, while Austrian Tanja Stroschneider, Slovak Margaréta Bicanová, and fellow Austrian Anna Reiser were a minute and a half behind.
On the bike, Sparrow really kicked into gear and built a significant lead over the rest of the field. Fully focused and without looking back, she left everyone behind. By the time Sparrow returned to T2, her lead over second-placed Danish athlete, Emely Ravn, had increased to 5:35 minutes, while Austrian Anna Pabinger arrived in third, trailing by 7:53 minutes. The podium battle already seemed largely decided, as Austrian Gabriele Obmann, in fourth, was 10:47 minutes behind.
Midway through the run, Sparrow still held a comfortable lead of 3:48 minutes, although it was now Pabinger who had surged into second place, rapidly closing the gap. That trend continued, and with five kilometres to go, the gap between the two athletes was only a minute and a half, setting the stage for a real thriller in the final stages. Meanwhile, Ravn fell back, and Obmann moved into third.
In the final stretch, Sparrow managed to keep her cool and secure the victory. She won the race in a time of 4:25:51, finishing thirty seconds ahead of Pabinger, who came in second with 4:26:21. Obmann secured her third spot in a time of 4:29:06.
“I was hurting all day off the back of racing The Championship last weekend,” said Sparrow after her victory. “It was a total head game the whole race to beat this, plus I was on my own for so much of it and I had no idea where anyone else was, not even at the end as I only saw Anna when I turned into the finish line! It was so good to take the win after second last year and I’ll back for a third time next year!”
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