Nina Zoller (SUI), number 4 of the current Powerman World Ranking 2018/19

«Primarily I want to enjoy the race»

In a series we present the top favourites of the 2019 Zofingen ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. It’s Nina Zoller’s turn today. The 32-year-old from Graubünden, currently number 4 in the Powerman World Ranking 2018/19, achieved places 5 and 4 in the first two Powerman Zofingen races, but is stacking low for this year: «Primarily I want to enjoy the race and let myself be surprised.»

Nina Zoller starts in Zofingen for the third time over the long distance. In the last two years, the 32-year-old from Chur just missed the podium – rank 5 in 2017 and rank 4 last year. So this year it would logically be rank 3. «Primarily I want to enjoy the race and be surprised», says Zoller about her goal for this year at the 31st Powerman Zofingen. «The competition is strong, but of course I’m happy if I can get a little involved.» She is satisfied with the course of the season so far: «Yes, I was able to celebrate three successes at the Alpen Challenge Lenzerheide, the Engadin Cycling Marathon and the Ascent Race in St. Gallen and also won bronze at the Swiss Duathlon Championships.»

Text: Raphael Galliker

Here you can find more information about the registration for the Powerman Zofingen 2019

Daniela Schwarz (SUI), number 13 of the current Powerman World Ranking 2018/19

«I want to do a hell of a job»

In a series we present the top favourites of the 2019 Zofingen ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. It’s Daniela Schwarz’s turn today. The Winterthur woman, who celebrates her 34th birthday one day after this year’s Powerman Zofingen, is the current number 13 in the Powerman World Ranking 2018/19. The single winner of this year’s Gigathlon starts at the Powerman Zofingen for the third time. After two starts over the short distance (2016 and 2017) Schwarz finished fifth last year at her debut over the long distance.

Asked about her goal at the 31st Powerman Zofingen, Daniela Schwarz says like out of a gun: «I want to deliver a great performance.» This was done by the 34-year-old from Winterthur, who will be 34 on 9 September 2019 when she makes her debut last year with rank 5, making her the fourth best Swiss woman behind Petra Eggenschwiler (1st place), Melanie Maurer (2nd place) and Nina Zoller (4th place). Also this season Schwarz has shown a big trump: Gigathlon victory in the women’s singles category, 4th place in the interval duathlon in Zofingen, age class victory in the Ironman Switzerland 70.3 and 2nd place in her age group in the Ironman Switzerland 140.6. «The season could hardly have gone better so far! And most importantly, I’m symptom-free and injury-free.»

Text: Raphael Galliker

Here you can find more information about the registration for the Powerman Zofingen 2019

Antonia Reznikov (ISR), number 7 of the current Powerman World Ranking 2018/19

«I really like this race in Zofingen»

In a series we present the top favourites of the 2019 Zofingen ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. It’s Antonia Reznikov’s turn today. The 33-year-old from Israel, currently number 7 in the Powerman World Ranking 2018/19, stepped by her first appearance in Zofingen on the podium – third place last year: «I really liked it and immediately after the finish I planned to come again.»

For Antonia Reznikow the Powerman Zofingen was love at first sight. «For me every competition is a goal but the start in Zofingen is very special for me.» The 33-year-old lady from Israel last year startet at the Powerman Zofingen fort he first time, got third and was very happy: «I really liked it and immediately after the finish I planned to come again.» The number 7 of the current Powerman World Ranking 2018/19 is not satified with the season so far. «I am a little sad because many of my goals were not achieved, but this is sport and I always keep my head towards my goal.» This year Reznikow finished four times a triathlon over the iron distance «and ist was a great achievement for me to win one of them». She is a tough athlet: «I train in one of the hottest spots of the world, in the city of Eilat, with winds and mountains and a beautiful red sea. Every day I open my window and I see the border of the two countries Jordan and Egypt.»

Text: Raphael Galliker

Here you can find more information about the registration for the Powerman Zofingen 2019

31st Powerman Zofingen: 7th/8th September 2019

Mileage boards along the bike course are jaloniert

The 31st Powerman Zofingen is approaching in huge steps. It’s the weekend of September 7th/8th. The mileage boards along the bike course have been jaloniert since the beginning of this week. The small signposts were also placed in the middle of this week. That means that the whole track is now completely jaloniert about two weeks before the race. The responsible persons in the OC of the Powerman Zofingen will now tame the running course in the course of the coming week, so that training athletes will find their way through the forest effortlessly.

Text: Raphael Galliker

Here you can find more information about the registration for the Powerman Zofingen 2019

Melanie Maurer (SUI), number 2 of the current Powerman World Ranking 2018/19

«I want to repeat the top performance of 2018»

In a series we present the top favourites of the 2019 Zofingen ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. It’s Melanie Maurer’s turn today. The 31-year-old, who grew up in the Lucerne Wikon and lives in the Bernese Liebefeld, is currently number 2 in the Powerman World Ranking 2018/19 and has a clear goal for September 8, 2019: «I want to repeat my top performance of 2018, at least to reach the top 5.»

Melanie Maurer starts in Zofingen for the third time over the long distance. After the 8th place in 2017 there was a clear increase in performance last year with the vice world champion title behind Petra Eggenschwiler. So this year the goal of the current world ranking list number 2 should be number 1. The 31-year-old, who grew up in Wikon and now lives in Liebefeld/BE, stays on the ground. «I want to repeat my top performance of 2018, at least reach the top five.» Since this season Maurer is member of a French team and announced her participation in the 31st Powerman Zofingen only in late summer. She is satisfied with the course of the season so far: «Yes, I was able to secure the Swiss Champion title in the duathlon both over the short and middle distance and won silver at the European Championship over the middle distance.» And also in the private area there is a sense of achievement: «My cat is pregnant and I am already looking forward to the kittens.»

Text: Raphael Galliker

Here you can find more information about the registration for the Powerman Zofingen 2019

Duathlon, outlook with OC President Stefan Ruf on 31st Powerman Zofingen

«Increase technical quality»

The Powerman Zofingen will also be held in the next two years as ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. Stefan Ruf, who is starting his 17th year as OC President, has signed a contract with the International Triathlon Union (ITU). On 8 September 2019, the World Championship race will once again take place on the new track, which was held for the first time last year. 2019 is a year of consolidation with the aim of improving quality, especially in the technical area.

Stefan Ruf, on 7th/8th September 2019, in a few weeks, the 31st Powerman Zofingen will take place. Is everything ready?
Stefan Ruf, OK President Powerman Zofingen: A month before the event is always the moment when the nervousness rises. Have they thought of everything? Are all precautions taken? Fortunately, this year we don’t have the hectic pace of 2018, when we had to use every means at our disposal to find a new bike course at very short notice. This year it will be the same course as planned, so that we have been able to work on improvements, for example in track safety.

Last year there was a new bike route, are there any adjustments in view of this year?
No, the route is exactly the same. Unfortunately we still have to drive on the dangerous Renzlingenstrasse in Reiden, although we have worked out other variants together with the municipality of Reiden. Unfortunately, the Lucerne police did not support them.

“12 transit communities – one race” is the slogan used in connection with the new cycle track that was introduced last year. How are the transit congregations involved in this?
During the last months we were allowed to present the Powerman Zofingen event to the authorities in various communities, especially in the new transit points, and met with a very positive response. We appreciate that very much. The permanent dialogue with the communities is an important concern for us. A first concrete positive consequence is that the local fire brigade can be deployed in various municipalities for stretch safety tasks.

What are the changes for the 31st Powerman Zofingen?
2019 is a year of consolidation with the aim of improving quality, especially in the technical area. I’m thinking, as I mentioned, of route planning and safety or of food stations, where the experience of 2018 will be the basis for improvements in details. Furthermore, we try to simplify wherever possible. For example, for the first time all starts, including the Kids race and the CHARITY run, will take place at exactly the same location.

What needs to be even better in the future?
There is always much to improve! With regard to the next few years, we have to put all our efforts back into marketing the event. We laid a foundation for this just a few weeks ago with the addition of new staff to our media and communications team.

The contract with the ITU (International Triathlon Union) was newly signed. So there will be also 2019 and 2020 in Zofingen ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. After 1997, 1998, 1999, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the ITU (International Triathlon Union) and the IPA (International Powerman Association) are now staging the World Championships in Zofingen for the twelfth and 13th time in a row for the ninth and tenth time. Is this becoming routine?
Routine is a central element for the success in our organization and should be strived for with it. However, cooperation with international associations in particular is a constant challenge. Each new Technical Delegate has his or her own ideas and it is important to find a common denominator.

In 2019 you will personally tackle your 17th year as OC President of Powerman Zofingen. Is the momentum still as great as in the first year of office?
I don’t count the years and think that’s a good sign for me personally. What I am very happy about is the development of duathlon in Switzerland. Switzerland is one of the leading nations again and new names have discovered the Duathlon for themselves. Something worries me at the moment the international development. The number of races of the worldwide Powerman series has settled at ten to twelve. I would prefer to see 20 to 25, otherwise the Powerman brand cannot be sufficiently publicized.

In the women’s category, Petra Eggenschwiler (SUI), Melanie Maurer (SUI) and Antonia Reznikov (ISR) will probably be on last year’s podium. So we can expect a top race?
This is indeed the case, and it is of course very gratifying that two Swiss women should be able to fight for victory at the same time. I expect a very close race between Petra Eggenschwiler and Melanie Maurer.

For the men, the start of defending champion Gaël Le Bellec (FRA) is anything but certain due to an accident in May. The race for the podium seems more open than ever?
I expect three athletes at the top who were not in the ranking in 2018. First, the Swiss shooting star and former marathon runner Michael Ott, who dominated the national competitions in 2019. Then the 2017 World Champion, Seppe Odeyn (BEL), will certainly do his utmost to make his failed 2018 competition forgotten, and then his young compatriot Diego van Looy, who has already won several Ironman competitions this year and who has already achieved excellent marathon times and will therefore have to be considered on the final 30 km run.

Speaking of Le Bellec. Over and over again duathletes are shot down by cars during training. You, too, were the victim of an accident like this a few weeks ago. Do these accidents make you sick to your stomach?
This of course also applies to cyclists and triathletes and not only to duathletes. On the one hand, it is a consequence of the fact that there is now simply more traffic than 30 years ago, but it also has to do with the behaviour of road users, which in my opinion has become more inconsiderate. In addition, there are the most diverse sources of distraction, which did not exist 30 years ago. I myself cycle about 5,000 km of bicycles and 50,000 km of cars every year and am therefore not a missionary representative of one side or the other. Unfortunately, I do not have the magic formula for solving this problem either. In my opinion, no solution is to displace cyclists on narrow, dangerous pavements or so-called cycle paths that do not deserve this name.

The OK has now grown to about 50 people. Where are there still vacancies that can/must be filled?
With this size there are always some changes and thus free positions. What we need above all are colleagues who are prepared to take on a planning or management task that requires commitment throughout the year, but significantly less work immediately before and at the event.

In the upper areas of the OC, quite a lot of new staff has been recruited recently. Was this necessary in view of the future of the Powerman Zofingen?
We are constantly on the lookout for the optimal organizational structure. The one thing is the structure, the other is the people. The second is much more important in an honorary organisation that organises an event once a year.

The number of participants has stagnated somewhat in recent years. What for?
The last two years we had to use too many resources for personnel renewals and route changes. These have been lacking in the recruitment of participants and therefore the number of participants has not grown in the last two years. More participants must therefore be the big target for 2020.

Also with the Powerman CHARITY and the PowerKids you stir the advertising drum more intensively. Do the participants benefit from this as well?
These are the possibilities for everyone to be a Powerman, a Powerwoman or a PowerKid and to take part in the Powerman Zofingen event. Sporting talent and a lot of training are not required. I hope that many readers will make use of the unique opportunity to start at the same place and run through the exact same goal as the World Champion will do 24 hours later.

Interview: Raphael Galliker

31st Powerman Zofingen on 7th/8th September 2019

Traffic obstructions and waiting times

After 1997, 1998, 1999, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the ITU (International Triathlon Union) and the IPA (International Powerman Association) are holding their 12th joint ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships in Zofingen. The PowerKids / PowerFamily races and the PowermanCHARITY will already be held on Saturday, September 7, 2019. In the greater Zofingen area, traffic congestion and waiting times may therefore occur on 7 and especially on 8 September.

The organisers of the Powerman Zofingen ask the road users to be careful on the weekend of 7/8 September 2019 in the Zofingen area. On certain parts of the route it can happen that an athlete is cycling at well over 60 kilometres per hour. This applies to other road users when overtaking, turning onto the road, etc.. Caution is therefore primarily required on the bike course. This leads from Zofingen to Strengelbach, Vordemwald, Rothrist, back to Zofingen, the Mühlethal up to Uerkheim, via Holziken, Schöftland, Wittwil, Staffelbach to Reitnau and via Williberg, Reidermoos, Reiden, Wikon back to Zofingen. On Sunday, September 8, 2019 the races will start at 8 am and last until about 8 pm. Already on Saturday, 7 September 2019, the PowerKids and PowerFamily races (13.00 to approx. 15.30) and the PowermanCHARITY (5 km run for a good cause from 16.30 to around 17.30) will take place.

Residents Info

The Powerman Zofingen-OK thanks the population for their understanding and for accepting waiting times or handicaps. On Thursday, August 22nd, starting at 6 p.m., a few dozen OK members will go on the World Championships course to distribute info flyers to the local residents. OC President Stefan Ruf also thanks the shops in the old town of Zofingen for their understanding, as the World Championships cycle and running track also leads through the picturesque town of Thut. “The road users should pay attention even before the Powerman Zofingen weekend, as hundreds of participants are already on the track for training purposes. “Of course, you can watch the World Cup race live on 8 September, or in the over nine-hour live stream. In addition, TV24 and Tele M1 will broadcast the World Cup race in the decisive phase (2 p.m. to 4 p.m. live).

Text: Raphael Galliker

Powerman Zofingen 7/8 September 2019

The big welcoming wall is standing

The 31st Powerman Zofingen is approaching in big steps. Who at the garage F. + M. Konstantin AG drives past to Zofingen (photo), is specially and visibly welcomed. From now on all road users will be greeted by a large Powerman Zofingen wall. On these boards everyone can see that the Powerman Zofingen will take place on 7th/8th September 2019 and will again be held on Sunday as the ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships.

If you want to be part of the Powerman Zofingen 2019 via the Long Distance (age groups), Short Distance, at the relays, at the teams, at the PowerKids/PowerFamily or at the Powerman CHARITY, the best way to register is here.

Text: Raphael Galliker, Photo: Walter Pfäffli

Yannick Cadalen (FRA), number 6 of the current Powerman World Ranking 2018/19

«I want to step on top of the podium»

In a series we present the top favourites of the 2019 Zofingen ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. Today it’s Yannick Cadalen’s turn. The 30-year-old Frenchman is the current number 6 in the 2018/19 Powerman World Ranking. Cadalen will start at the Powerman Zofingen already for the sixth time: «I will give my best to reach the top step of the podium.»

Yannick Cadalen is not a man of a lot of words. «There are no news about me», the 30-year-old Frenchman says. In Zofingen the world number 6 has started already five times. Twice of them he was very successful. In 2014 and last year he ended up second, both times behind his compatriot Gaël Le Bellec who does not yet know whether he can start in Zofingen this time because of an accident. «I will give my best to reach the top step of the podium», so Cadalen who startetd before the Powerman Zofingen just at a few races. «So actually my season just started in the middle of August with the Embrunman.»

Text: Raphael Galliker

Here you can find more information about the registration for the Powerman Zofingen 2019