Race week has kicked off for the 2026 Gallagher Insurance Challenge Wānaka Festival of Triathlon, and more than 3,000 athletes will be competing in events during the next three days.The event, which started in 2007 with just 85 athletes on the start line, is marking its 20th anniversary. Retired Wānaka GP Dr Andrew McLeod, a trustee of the Challenge Wānaka Triathlon Charitable Sports Trust, has taken part in every event for the past two decades.“As a thoroughly mediocre runner and cyclist, and a non-swimmer with a worrying amount of stubbornness, it seemed entirely logical that the very first Challenge Wānaka should also be my very first triathlon,” he said. “God only knows what I was thinking.”Andrew McLeod has now competed in Challenge events around the world. PHOTO: SuppliedAndrew said he doesn’t remember much of that first race, but recalls “crossing the line already analysing what I’d done wrong, what I’d somehow done right, and how I’d do it better next time”.“Twenty years on, and after races across New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe, I’m still learning.”He has seen the event evolve from a single-lap bike course (Cromwell to Tarras, through Hāwea, up to Treble Cone and back) to two laps - and even more during the Glendhu Bay years immediately post-Covid. The introduction of the half-distance race, team events, junior and adaptive categories has been “a huge step forward”, he said, offering “a way for almost anyone to be part of it”.Events introduced over the years include the half-distance race, team events, junior and adaptive (pictured) categories, offering a way for almost anyone to be part of it. PHOTO: Challenge Wānaka Andrew said the Challenge Wānaka was “a bit of a leap of faith”, as the first time the Challenge organisation had stepped away from its roots in Challenge Roth in Germany.“What’s impressed me most over the past 20 years is how willing the event has been to adapt,” he said.“There have been almost annual tweaks: changes to the course, shifts in timing, and the steady addition of new race formats. That willingness to evolve has kept the event fresh and relevant rather than stuck in nostalgia.”Andrew says the event is an important one for Wānaka because it encourages not only activity, but community engagement.Challenge event director Jane Sharman said the 20-year milestone is an opportunity to celebrate both the evolution of the event and the community that supports it.“This event has always been about more than racing. It’s about courage, connection, and celebrating what’s possible – whether you’re five years old, an adaptive athlete, or racing professionally on the world stage.”Events this week include the Puzzling World Junior Challenge & Mini (Preschool) Challenge today (Thursday February 19), the Puzzling World Intermediate Challenge, Mitre 10 Mega Wānaka Adaptive Challenge, and Secondary Schools Challenge tomorrow (Friday February 20), and the Gallagher Insurance Challenge Wānaka Half, Gallagher Insurance Corporate Trophy and Garth Barfoot Aquabike on Saturday (February 21).There will be restricted vehicle access around the Wānaka lakefront, Mount Aspiring Road, and sections of the bike and run course.Find the full list of pro athletes here and the full event schedule here.
