Pro Triathlete Judith Corachan Takes Top 10 Finish At Challenge Samorin

September 02, 2021

[Editor's note—Pro triathlete Judith Corachan continued her 2021 racing season with a hard-fought result at one of the toughest events in Europe. We're proud to present the race report below from Judith and her team. (Photos: Challenge Family)]

Earlier this week, the fourth edition of Challenge Samorin was held in the city of Samorin, Slovakia, where Judith Corachán scored a very impressive tenth-place finish in a very difficult race.

Almost three months after being proclaimed champion of Spain in the Long Distance discipline and then overcoming an injury, Judith Corachán returned to racing and put on a number to compete in the prestigious Challenge Samorin triathlon. The competition was centered at the famed X-Bionic Sphere, one of the largest high-performance sports centers in the world. The event began with a 1900-meter swim in the Danube River.

British triathlete Lucy Hall and Sara Pérez of Spain were the first to emerge from the water. After them at 20'' back was the American Haley Chura, and at 2' back was a group with several of the favorites including Fenella Langridge, Sarissa de Vries, Lisa Norden, and Judith Corachán.

From the first pedal stroke of the bike leg, Lucy Hall and Sara Pérez led the field, while Chura was still in third position. In the first few kilometers, one of the bikes accompanying Judith's group took the wrong route, causing some confusion amongst the pursuers, causing them a loss of more than 15' until they were re-routed to the circuit again. Due to this mishap, Judith's group was advanced by several positions by race officials. The race situation after this strange occurrence left Judith in 12th position, almost 20' behind the head of the race. After 90 kilometers, Hall reached the second transition first, followed by Pérez at 3' and Chula at 9'35" back. Judith fought hard and ended the bike leg in 11th position, having practically pedaled alone throughout the split.

The 21km run was not expected to bring any big changes, as the first three were going to reach the finish line in the same positions. As such, it was victory for Lucy Hall with a time of 4:10:45, followed by Sara Pérez in 4:12:15, and Haley Chura rounding out the podium with 4:14:39. For her part, Judith managed to climb up to 10th place in the last part of the run. She reached the finish line after completing one of the fastest runs of the competition.

“It's hard to believe what happened," said Judith. "But these things happen, and it happened today and here. Despite that, I was happy not to throw in the towel like some of the others who found themselves in the same unfortunate situation. Not only did I perform well, but I managed to catch up with two rivals and finish in tenth position. Races aren't always just about a result, but a learning experience, too. As always, thank you to of all my sponsors, family and friends who are always there, regardless of the result."

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