In a switch-up from triathlon at the weekend, Max Studer took on the hills of the Swiss Alps at the Engadiner Sommerlauf.
Less than a week out from racing at the Paris Olympic Test Event, Studer took on the challenging 25.5km over a course that gained 365m of elevation while also losing 401m. It was not a race for the faint-hearted and one that many other triathletes may have steered clear from at the peak of the season.
Studer’s decision to race paid off. As well getting a tough training session, the Swiss athlete came away with the silver medal for his efforts as he clocked 1:21:06. That put him 1 minute behind the winner, Leonard Kipngeno Bor of Kenya.
Triathlon fans may spy another familiar face among the results as Reinaldo Colucci, who used to race in the WTCS for Brazil, finished 14th.
With his attention turning to Paris, Studer will have a few days in which to recover from his efforts. In addition to his performance at the Sommelauf, he will have plenty of reasons to be confident heading into the Test Event.
Studer kicked off his season with a 9th place at WTCS Abu Dhabi and then finished 6th art WTCS Hamburg. In between, he won the Asia Cup in Dexing and then took the Swiss title in June.
With his running clearly firing, perhaps he will have something special up his sleeve this week.
