Sunday, 4.45 a.m. A rather unusual time for a student, just to make use of a few clichés. The aim of the early start was the German University Triathlon Championships in Griesheim near Darmstadt.

A total of 17 students, employees and alumni of KIT and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences packed their bikes and equipment into the vans provided and set off on the short journey north in good spirits despite the early hour. The race briefings were held by teams on the Friday before, the main points were known, registration was easy and then checking in the bikes in the transition zone was largely uneventful. For some of the participants, this was their first triathlon and when it came to how to set up their transition area, where to put their shoes, baby powder in their socks or not, a little nervousness set in for some. The transition area is relatively clear, everything is in one long, zigzagging corridor, but the path from the swim to the bike course is quite long at just under 500m.

The first men's individual race started at 8am. 8 athletes on a 25m course and a 500m swim made for a fast first discipline. The women were allowed into the water 20 minutes later and provided no less excitement in the pool. David Reichenbacher left the pool as the fastest man and Delia Blaess as the fastest woman among the Karlsruhe participants. This was followed by the long walk to the transition zone and then onto the bike. The bike course began with a short forest trail, followed by smooth asphalt on the two laps and 20 km in total. Dennis Fleckenstein in the men's race and Delia Blaess in the women's race both achieved the fastest time on the bike. The final running discipline was completed on beautiful but sandy forest paths. The fastest times were achieved by Delia Blaess and Henning Lulei. The two were also the first of the Karlsruhe delegation to cross the finish line.

And because one competition a day is not enough, the Mixed Team Relay was on the program in the afternoon. Here, three participants, two men and one woman, each complete a super sprint triathlon with 225m swimming, 5km cycling and 1km running, one after the other as a relay team. The program is short and crisp. After just under 20 minutes, the competition is over for each individual. The team from KIT and the university made up 5 of the 14 teams, one of which was filled with a guest athlete from the University of Tübingen. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Eva Estler for her spontaneous participation. After a heated competition, the first Karlsruhe team with Henning Lulei, Delia Blaess and Jan Allmenröder finished in fourth place after 51 minutes. With these and other very good performances and a wealth of new impressions and experiences, the team then headed home to Karlsruhe. Full of anticipation for the next university championships.

Many thanks to the KIT for providing the city cars and one-piece suits, as well as to David Reichenbacher for organizing the event.

Results can be found under the following link: https://live-results.com/2025/5/short-track/