PTO Partners with Challenge Roth
The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has been extremely busy in the partnership space this month. Earlier this month the PTO and World Triathlon strengthened their existing relationship on the T100 World Tour. And now, they’ve announced another key partnership with the world’s largest long-course triathlon, Challenge Roth.
As part of the agreement, Roth will move back to the PTO’s World Rankings Platinum level. The five levels — Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze — are based upon a mix of prize money on offer, broadcast coverage, media exposure, and prestige of the event. The Platinum tier has thus far been empty in 2024, although in 2023 it included Roth, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, and World Triathlon’s Long Distance Championships.
Speaking of prize money, prize money will more than double in 2025, with €160,000 on offer. Winners will receive €30,000, doubling the cash earned by Magnus Ditlev and Anne Haug this year. Second place is up 150% to €20,000. Third will earn €10,000. Roth will also continue to offer bonuses to men who finish under 9 hours and women who finish in under 10 hours, as well as their ongoing athlete sponsorships.
The agreement will also see the two organizations partner together on improvements to athlete experiences, with the shared goal of sport growth. For example, a media release on the partnership points to Roth’s well regarded athlete expo as a model to replicate at the PTO’s T100 World Tour events. They also will look to cross-promote one another’s events and to leverage the PTO’s sizable digital media presence to promote Roth.
“TEAMCHALLENGE has been a market leader in endurance sport for decades and DATEV Challenge Roth is one of the most iconic events on the triathlon calendar,” said PTO CEO Sam Renouf. “So we are excited to see the race become recognized as a Platinum tier event in our World Rankings System as well as partner with them to elevate the sport more generally.”
Challenge Roth will take place on July 6th, 2025. It sold out in 40 seconds.
Photo: Heike Liedtke/Challenge Roth
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So to summarise:
Anything else? I guess we might assume that the gap in the T100 calendar end June / early July will not be filled with an as yet unannounced T100 race as it would clash with Roth, and not be evidence of a “strengthened relationship”.
I can see Lange Philipp Haug and Ditlev racing this again.
ETA: " earned by Magnus Ditlev and Anne Haug this year ." I missed this article 4 months ago. Now that ST ‘front page’ articles are thrown into the forum too, it’s excellent: “They never will be missed!” (PoP reference for the G&S aficianados).
I link the PTO Media Release:
Roth didn’t need an agreement to raise prize money and trigger platinum status. The rest is fluff.
The article doesn’t state “why” or “why it matters.” Is it because it doesn’t? Utter nothingburger.
I agree. The “relationship” or “partnership” doesn’t bring anything to the table for anyone
Not sure why it needed a press release! Slow news day …