Challenge Samarkand, live.

Triathlon on the Old Silk Road

Challenge Samarkand is a Challenge Family triathlon in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, raced on 22 August 2027 from the Silk Road Samarkand complex.

The main race is the middle distance: a 1.9 km swim, an 86 km bike and a 21.5 km run, with a pro race and a Tri Together option. The sprint distance is a 750 m swim, a 19 km bike and a 5 km run. A 5 km women's run and kids' runs of 200 to 1000 m complete the programme.

The swim is a single 1.9 km lap from the pier of a purpose-built rowing centre, in water the organiser describes as running mountain water from a clear river. The bike starts in the Silk Road Samarkand tourist complex and passes monuments from the 14th and 15th centuries in the UNESCO World Heritage area. The run is four laps inside the complex, around the rowing canal and the Eternal City park, with only about 6 m of climbing.

The organiser gives an average air temperature of 28°C and water of 20°C, and about 644 m of climbing on the middle distance bike. Late August heat makes pacing and drinking part of the plan.

Samarkand and Tashkent both have international airports, and from Tashkent a high speed train takes a couple of hours. Eight partner hotels sit on both sides of the rowing canal, so athletes and supporters stay close to the start, the run course and the finish. Entry includes a medal, a T-shirt and a swim cap.

On Livebib you can follow a participant who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry on course. That dot on the map is the person's own sharing, not the organiser's timing, and the official results are published by the organiser.