Challenge Wānaka, live.

A lake swim under the Southern Alps

Challenge Wānaka is a triathlon festival on the shore of Lake Wānaka in New Zealand's South Island, with its main race on Saturday 20 February 2027.

The organisers call it New Zealand's largest triathlon festival, with events for more than 2,500 participants from professionals to age group athletes. The event is set in the heart of the town on the shores of Lake Wānaka, with the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area as a backdrop, and the festival builds over several days, with junior, intermediate, secondary school and adaptive races on the Thursday and Friday before the main event.

The Challenge Wānaka 100 starts at 07:05 from the lake front on Ardmore Street. The 2 km swim is a single lap of Roys Bay, where the water usually settles around 15 degrees in February, so wetsuits are compulsory. The 80 km bike heads out of town towards the base of the Treble Cone ski field and past Glendhu Bay, and the 18 km run is two laps of an out and back along the lakeside trails to Beacon Point, mostly on sealed paths and formed trail, with a steep climb after the 7 km mark.

The Garth Barfoot Aquabike starts at 08:00 over the same 2 km swim and 80 km ride, and it is a national title event in 2027. Individual athletes must be 18 or older on race day, and teams of two or three can share the legs. The cut-offs are 9.30am for the swim, 1.30pm for the bike and 5.00pm for the run. If the lake is unsafe, the race becomes a duathlon with a 3 km opening run.

The run winds along the lake front, where thousands of spectators come out to cheer, and runners pass the Bremner Bay aid station in both directions on each lap. The expo is open in Pembroke Park during the festival days.

On Livebib you can follow a participant who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry during the race. That is the athlete's own sharing and not the organiser's timing, and the official results come from the organiser.