A strong cohort of PRO and age group athletes are gearing up for the next race on the Challenge Family calendar, as Challenge Barcelona welcomes nearly 3,500 hopefuls to the Catalan capital this Sunday, November 3.

Double Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee finished second in the men’s race last year, with Imogen Simmonds leading the women’s field..

This year, Challenge Barcelona features a new running course and more than 70 professional triathletes, including five Olympians.

Jess LearmoisTeam GB gold medalist in the mixed relay at the Tokyo Olympics, holds first place, with his British compatriot Sam Dickinsonwho won a bronze medal in the same event in Paris, and who has now moved up to middle distance.

Start time and how to watch

Challenge Barcelona was scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. local time (CET) on Sunday, November 3, which is 7:00 a.m. GMT and 2:00 a.m. EST.

However, the swim was canceled due to strong swells which were expected to increase throughout the morning. Athlete safety is a top priority and, given recent events in Spain, the race organization has confirmed that Challenge Barcelona 2024 will be a duathlon with professional athletes now starting at 8:15am.

There is no live broadcast of the Challenge Barcelona 2024, but you can follow the race HEREwith live updates via app HERE.

PRO Men’s Start List

Olympic bronze medalist Sam Dickinson will have the hope of a great performance in the Catalan capital.

In his completed races in 2024, Sam has finished in the top ten every time. Notable results include victory at the 2024 European Triathlon Cup in Kielce when he beat Jonny Brownlee to do anything but seal this place in Paris.

Germany’s Justus Nieschlag would have been one of the favorites after his superb third place at T100 Lake Las Vegas, but he was forced to withdraw after losing 3kg, possibly due to food poisoning or a virus .

“At the moment I feel very weak and I don’t think it makes sense to start at Barcelona,” he said. “The race was part of my preparation for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, which is my main goal for this year. I want to recover well and then complete a strong final training block.

Other big names include Cuddly Tomwho is hoping to build on his recent victory at the Challenge Peguera Mallorca which saw him climb even higher in the Challenge Family World Bonus rankings as he continues his $100,000 scholarship. He is currently in third place after this victory in St Pölten, as well as a second place in Walchsee.

And Spanish athlete Guillem Montielwho took first place at Challenge Salou earlier this year, is looking forward to competing against the big names and says: “Competing in Barcelona is always special, and even more so with such a caliber of triathletes. This is a fantastic opportunity to compete against top athletes and showcase the high level of talent we have here.

PRO Women start list

Jess Learmois is the biggest name on the starting list at Barcelona. After winning a mixed relay gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, she returned to action this year after the birth of her first child.

Her comeback race came at IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau in May, where she finished second and she was due to race the London T100 before a hip injury ruled her out.

At his side will be the Swiss athlete Imògen Simmondswho is the reigning champion of Challenge Barcelona. This will be his first Challenge race in 2024, having won four such events last year.

Both will have an eye on Caroline Pohle. The German is in fantastic form heading into Barcelona after 70.3 wins in Tallinn and Zell am See propelled her to 15th in the latest PTO world rankings.

And national hopes rest largely on Sara Pérez Sala who finished third at Challenge Turku in July.

Barcelona Challenge Course

The main thing to say about PRO races is that the “short” distance is unusual – somewhere between Olympic and middle distance.

Firstly, the 1,500m swim (the same as the Olympic distance) should have seen competitors right next to Mar Bella beach with views of the entire coastline, before the 56km bike ride took them away. see them heading through the streets on a flat and fast route.

This year, Challenge Barcelona features a new 15km running course, with athletes ready to enjoy a faster, more streamlined course.

Much of the route follows the Mediterranean coast and will benefit from enthusiastic crowd support along the way. The number of 180-degree turns is also reduced, with the course taking athletes past Barcelona’s most iconic sites such as the Bogatell promenade, Nova Icària beach and Barceloneta.

Find out more about Challenge Barcelona in our running guide.