Challenge Vieux Boucau, live.

A salt-water lake, then the flat roads of the Landes

Challenge Vieux Boucau was held on 10 and 11 October 2026 at Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains in the Landes, with every race starting from the beach of the lake.

The swim is the unusual part. It takes place in the lac marin, a salt-water lake sheltered from the open sea, at around 20 °C according to the organiser. The bike leg runs on flat Landes roads, and the run goes around the lake. The middle distance, 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike and 21.1 km run, started at 10:00 on Saturday 10 October and is listed as an official qualifier for The Championship. On Sunday 11 October the Olympic distance started at 09:00 and the sprint, 750 m, 20 km and 5 km, at 15:00. A kids’ duathlon for ages 6–9 and 10–13 ran on Saturday evening.

The organiser describes the courses as flat and fast, and is clear about two rules: drafting is forbidden, and the bike course stays open to traffic, so the highway code applies. Cut-off times are calculated from each athlete’s own start time. Awards were held at the Arènes, and race-village bib pick-up opened on Friday 9 October.

For family on the lakeside, a triathlon is three races and a lot of waiting for the right one. When the athlete carries a phone, they can share a link to their own Livebib broadcast; family and friends open it in a browser, no account or app, and see the position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate that updates as the race goes. Anything estimated is marked as estimated, and if the signal drops the position is carried forward along the course instead of freezing. The athlete decides who gets the link.