Yesterday it was the turn of Kristian Blummenfelt, who announced his presence for the first time at Challenge Roth. Today the news jumps to the female category.
Kat Matthews has confirmed her presence at Challenge Roth 2026. And he has done it with a statement that leaves no room: "I have always wanted to run in Roth, like any athlete, but what I really want is to win it."
Records, he says, are secondary. “Crossing the line first is what matters to me.”
The 34-year-old British triathlete arrives in Bavaria for the first time with the résumé in her favour: champion of the IRONMAN Pro Series the last two seasons. Six wins in red M events, three of them in a row in Texas.
The eight-hour barrier, back in the air
Last year in Hamburg, Matthews crossed the finish line in 8:05:13. Third fastest brand in history. And yet, he didn't win.
Her best time places her very close to the absolute record of the event, the 8:02:38 that Anne Haug signed at Roth in 2024 with a final marathon of 2:38:52.
Before Haug, it took Daniela Ryf twelve years to unseat Chrissie Wellington's 8:18:13, established in 2011. And before Wellington, it was Paula Newby-Fraser who dominated this circuit in the early nineties.
The last 10 winners in Roth
| Year | Men | Women | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025- | 🇫🇷Sam Laidlow | 7:29:35 | 🇩🇪Laura Philipp | 8:18:18 | |
| 2024 | 🇩🇰Magnus Ditlev CR | 7%** 23%*** 24%*** | 🇩🇪Anne Haug | 8:02:38 | |
| 2023 | 🇩🇰Magnus Ditlev | 7:24:40 | 🇨🇭Daniela Ryf | 8:08:21 | |
| 2022 | 🇩🇰Magnus Ditlev | 7:35:48 | 🇩🇪Anne Haug | 8:22:42 | |
| 2021 | 🇩🇪Patrick Lange | 7:19:19 | 🇩🇪Anne Haug WR | 7:53:48 | |
| 2019 | 🇩🇪Andreas Dreitz | 7:59:02 | 🇬🇧Lucy Charles-Barclay | 8:31:09 | |
| 2018 | 🇩🇪Sebastian Kienle | 7:46:23 | 🇩🇪Daniela Bleymehl | 8:43:42 | |
| 2017 | 🇧🇪Bart Aernouts | 7:59:07 | 🇨🇭Daniela Ryf | 8:40:03 | |
| 2016 | 🇩🇪Jan Frodeno | 7:35:39 | 🇨🇭Daniela Ryf | 8:22:04 | |
Roth has been the place where boundaries are broken for decades, and with every new favorite announced, the question is obvious: Are you here to break the record?
And Matthews is no exception. Not surprisingly, the Brit already knows what it's like to run under eight hours. In 2022, in the Sub7Sub8 project, he crossed that border. The conditions were exceptional, without the pressure of a real race. But the engine exists.
The question is whether you can replicate it with two hundred thousand spectators next to the tour.
About Roth's atmosphere, Matthews did not hide his enthusiasm. “It's like no other race. I'm so excited to experience it first-hand,” she said. And he invited the fans directly: “If you see me around the venue, say hello. Meeting people is a huge reason to come to an event like this.”
The race director, Felix Walchshöfer, highlighted both his sporting level and his ability to connect with the public. Something that in Roth, with the stands overflowing at every kilometer, has a special weight.
That Blummenfelt and Matthews debut the same year in Bavaria says a lot about what this edition can be. And there are still more names to be known.