The Ultimate Race Experience: Felix Walchshofer Reveals What Makes Roth So Special! (And Why The Race Will Never Be for Sale)

Felix Walchshofer. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

It’s no secret that since it debuted in 2002, Challenge Roth looks to put on the biggest long-distance triathlon show in Germany every year. The energy behind that goal comes from the owners of the race, the Walchshofer family. Alice and her two children, Felix and Kathrin, are the ones who drive the train when it comes to Challenge Roth. Earlier this week I got to catch up with Felix to chat about the race, and what drives the Walchshofer’s do the event.  

Slowtwitch: Felix, we are here in Roth again. I love coming in and seeing the signs: “Welcome home, triathletes.” How are you feeling ahead of Sunday’s race? 

Felix Walchshofer: Good, really good. It has been 15 months in preparation for 15 race hours, and now we’re in race week, and that is, for us, psychologically, payday, because now everything is in place, everything is set up. Our athletes arrive, the volunteers come in and and now we know why we are working so hard. 

It is such a festival and we could talk until we’re blue in the face about how the community loves this event so much. What is it that keeps driving the Walchshofer family? The enthusiasm never seems to stop. 

Our drive for perfection. We want to be the best race. When athletes come, we don’t just want to be a normal race, we want to exceed the expectations. We know that their expectations are really high, which is why we don’t only change one thing, but we have changed 25 things. A lot of those things are very costly. But, it’s an investment in their race. It’s an investment in our customers. The best thing, Kevin, for us is when we receive numerous emails or calls and they say “After the birth of my child and my wedding, that was the best day of my life.” Then you know what you actually are doing, your “work,” is meaningful. 

The race is very much a gem in Germany, obviously, but has it been hard to get the global recognition?

I don’t think so. If you ask athletes around the world what the famous races are? They’ll say Kona and Challenge Roth. So, we have come very far. In past years they compared us with Frankfurt. No one compares us with Frankfurt anymore. It’s different worlds. 

That change is apparent when you see that the United States is the fourth largest nationality (represented). The US, Canada – North American athletes are coming and that’s really, really cool.

Do you feel like, at some levels, people are saying “I’ve done the IRONMAN thing and now I’m looking for a new ‘challenge?'”

I think there are many things. When we asked athletes why they decide (to come here) a lot of things pop up. First is the history. They want to be in this prestigious race where Lothar Leder went under the eight-hour barrier the first time. Maybe this year we will see the first woman to go under the eight-hour barrier. So, there’s a lot of prestige. And history. Then, of course, there is the craziness of the 300,000 spectators. There’s no other race in the world that that offers that. I also think that a lot of people are aware about our feeling of quality. And how we invest in the race. Which race has a stadium for 10,000 people? There isn’t another one. Do we need to spend €50,000 on a laser show? No, we don’t. But we do because that’s the last moment that the athletes are with us in the stadium, and this is how we want to send them home. 

So, I think there are many reasons. I mean, the race is sold out in under 30 seconds. People stand in line for one of the thousand slots on Monday, and they they start queuing at 4:00 in the afternoon while the race is on, and they queue all night … And there are way more than 1,000 people. And then, when our volunteers come in the morning and distribute the cards … there are another thousand that wanted one. They come from Great Britain – they take buses to get a secured slot because they weren’t lucky in past years.

I think that desire for quality and ability to spend like that is possible because this is a family affair. You don’t answer to a board of directors. 

I answer to my sister’s children. They’re very small … but they are already playing triathlon. They are already balloon kids (the children who escort the winners to the finish line carrying balloons), as my sister and I were. We really hope that’s the next generation … so we have 25 to 30 years to go, so we can’t play around. We can’t stay on the same level. We have to improve. We want to stay the best race from a quality perspective, and the biggest race from all perspectives. The biggest expo. The most athletes. 7,500 volunteers, 300,000 spectators. The thing that sets Kona apart is the myth and the world championship status. That’s awesome. But on all the other fronts, we’re bigger. 

I was going to ask about how much of a challenge the IRONMAN Pro series has been in terms of the pro fields. That and the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s T100 series.

Absolutely. But, Kevin, that’s good for the sport. That’s all good for the sport. I love the PTO and what they’re doing. I love that IRONMAN started the Pro series. That brought IRONMAN back. They were on their back foot for many years, and that was very, very good for IRONMAN. It’s really good for the sport and, at the end of the day, we have to see what’s good for the sport and not what’s good for me, because if we keep on thinking like that, the pie will not grow. So, this is also why I invited Scott DeRue (IRONMAN CEO). I invited Jesse Du Bay (from Orkila Capital, one of the owners of IRONMAN). They’re both coming. I invited the PTO. They’re coming. I invited Challenge Family. I just want to be this little neutral Switzerland kind of thing where everyone gets to know each other. Why shouldn’t we all work together any way we can? 

A few years ago you separated yourself from Challenge Family. This could have been a “mini Kona,” with events serving as qualification. It seemed like your family chose to focus on this race alone.  

I think we weren’t in position to do a world championship event back then because we weren’t where we are now. And it took us a little bit more time, but I think we are in a really interesting position because we don’t need a world championship title. You see the pro athletes, you see the age group athletes, everyone coming together here. I also would be a bit hesitant to make this a true world championship like Kona because we would exclude a lot of our local athletes. They would have to go somewhere else to qualify for their own race. But, let’s see what the future brings. You know, the PTO has a lot of good concepts. They have ideas, Challenge Family has ideas, and we’re looking at all those ideas every year. Maybe in the future there is a different decision from us. 

Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

I’ve always felt that Roth embodies why many of us got into the sport way back when. As you get bigger, is it harder to keep that feeling? 

This is always the balance we have to to keep. We must not touch our soul, but we steadily have to reinvent ourselves. So, there are points that I will never touch because it’s important for the sport to keep them. But there are many things that we can change. For example, I think the word ‘expo’ is wrong because it’s a convention. It’s the biggest triathlon convention in the world. HOKA just launched the Rocket X3 in Roth … not at an expo anywhere else. That’s a statement. All the big brands are here, they’re inviting their clients, they’re inviting their shops. That is a development we will invest in even more in the coming years. We want to get this melting pot where everyone comes together: the industry, the athlete, the volunteers, the general public. We have a huge concert here in the Market Square with 10,000 people tomorrow. Does a triathlon need a concert? No. Is it cool? Yes. Yeah. So you know, this is how we think about what is important. The “soul” things of triathlon have to stay, but around that we will constantly evolve. 

You’re just so passionate about all this stuff. Do you ever see the end of you being involved with this. I can’t see it, but do you? 

No, Kevin, not really. We recently brought in a coach to our office to help groups work together, and it helped dramatically in execution. This is why I’m calmer than ever before and my cel phone is not ringing because everyone out there doing their job. The coach asked us, “Do you know your purpose?” And I know my purpose – my purpose is delivering something extraordinary to thousands of people and I love it. I found my place. I don’t want to be anywhere else. I’m so happy. I’m very appreciative, and I work with my friends, I work with my family, I work with a community that backs me up. Where else should I be? 

So what happens if Catherine’s kids decide they don’t want to be race directors? 

Well then, we’ll see. But, until then, my obligation is to invest in the race, to build up the quality and to have a stage for a wonderful sport and for everyone who’s playing on that stage. And we have to keep that stage very high up, with best quality.  

What is it about Roth, this community, that makes this work? I’m guessing you could be in Nuremberg and not have the same success.  

It’s those smaller communities, these embracing communities. It’s where triathletes are visible. If you go to a huge city, it’s nice, and the skyline is nice … but (the race), it’s just another hassle. It’s just another event, and our triathlon culture can’t blossom there. But a triathlon culture can blossom in a smaller community that is appreciated, that is thankful that so many people are coming in. We are not a tourism spot here, but now there are 108 nations here. If you go into any shop, they are so proud – they are so proud to see someone from Japan and Brazil and Tashkent. The athletes and the communities melt together to form this beautiful picture.

Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. You’ve got to be proud. 

I am proud. I’m very proud of my team. It’s a privilege. It’s a real privilege, Kevin. This is why I’m happy and why I say I found my purpose. And this is one of the reasons why we will not sell this race. Because I’m not here for money or anything. I’m happy. I have everything I need. And that’s what is really valuable. 

This event is so hard to describe to people. I find it so hard to explain to people that they have to go to Roth. It’s an experience like no other. As much as I write and as many photos as I take, it is really hard. Do you find the same thing?

Yeah. Kevin, even for me as a race director, I can’t describe it because Roth is indescribable. You have to feel it. You have to feel it. 

Tags: