Where to watch Challenge Almere-Amsterdam 2026 live: schedules and preview of the European Long Distance Championship
Carolina Laurentiu, the only Spanish woman in the elite of the European Long Distance Championships in Almere
Carolina Laurentiu Granja will be the only Spanish representative in the elite of the European Long Distance Championship, which takes place this Saturday, September 12, at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam.
The championship will consist of a 3,8-kilometer swim, a 180-kilometer bike ride, and a 42,2-kilometer run . The women's race is scheduled to start at 07:10 a.m., and the men's race will begin at 07:25 a.m.
The women's race will coincide from its early stages with the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice , whose women's event also takes place this Saturday on the French Riviera.
Triathlon News has already analyzed this coincidence between Almere and Nice , which places two international middle and long distance championships practically in the same time slot.
Laurentiu returns to a route he already knows
Carolina Laurentiu already competed in Almere in 2024 , when she finished 13th with a time of 10:54:23. Two years later she returns to the Dutch course after a season in which she has competed in Challenge Salou , Challenge Roth and IRONMAN Sweden.
Almere presents a virtually flat course, but the long open sections and levees leave participants very exposed to the wind. Effort management during the 180-kilometer cycling leg could again determine the subsequent marathon.
A women's race open in Almere
The organization itself presents the women's race as one of the most open in this edition , without an undisputed favorite to win the European title.
Among the main contenders is Kyra Meulenberg , who will be competing in Almere for the first time and could gain ground especially during the cycling and marathon stages.
Maaike Vooren is proposing a very different strategy. The Dutchwoman, seventh in 2025, is one of the strongest swimmers on the list and could try to create a gap from the very first kilometers.
Portuguese Vanessa Pereira and Dutch women Morena Stevens and Dieske Kruisselbrink complete a group with options, while the organization places Carolina Laurentiu, Denise Hiemann, Margrit Elfers and Barbora Besperát among the candidates to surprise.
There will be no Spanish representation in the elite men's category.
Schedule and where to watch the European Long Distance Championship
| Spanish Peninsular Time | Departure from |
|---|---|
| 07:10 | Female Elite |
| 07:25 | Male Elite |
| 07:30 | European Age Groups |
The Netherlands and mainland Spain share the same time zone as CEST, so no conversion is necessary. In the Canary Islands, it will be one hour earlier.
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam will offer the official live broadcast from its Challenge Family Live platform, where timing tracking, the ticker and race chat will also be available.
▶ Watch Challenge Almere-Amsterdam 2026 live
The official stream can also be opened directly on YouTube.
In addition, the organization maintains a specific 2026 results page to check rankings and times for the race.
The event also celebrates the 45th edition of Challenge Almere-Amsterdam , one of the historic long-distance events in Europe, with more than 4.500 participants expected in the overall program.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
