XTERRA returned to Altaussee on August 28–29, 2026, for a weekend that brought athletes, families and friends together in a lakeside village surrounded by the Austrian Alps.
The clear water, steep mountain trails and welcoming atmosphere at XTERRA Austria gave first-time winners, young athletes and familiar faces multiple reasons to find joy in a lifestyle defined by unique natural surroundings.
Friday kicked off with course practice, the Expo, Kids Run and charity run. Saturday brought the Full Distance, Sprint and Super Sprint, together with the Austrian Cross Triathlon Championships and opportunities for elites, age-groupers and youth to qualify for the 2026 XTERRA World Championship.
Jakub Jenčuš and Paula Leupold earned the first XTERRA victories of their careers, while Marcel Spandl and Jacqueline Jauk collected the Austrian titles. Carina Wasle added another home-country podium to a career now in its 21st XTERRA season, and the youth divisions brought athletes from across Europe to Altaussee.
World Cup contenders Scott Anderson and Dominik Wychera arrived with a different history behind them. They spent the days before the event enjoying the lake and checking the course, adding another trip to a friendship that has carried them through years of competition, Wychera’s accident and his inspirational journey back.
Jenčuš and Leupold Take First XTERRA Elite Wins
Poland’s Jan Chrzanowski was first from the water in the men’s Full Distance, only a few seconds ahead of 2025 winner Karel Dušek. Jakub Jenčuš then took control during the first of two mountain bike laps.
The Slovak athlete created an advantage of approximately five minutes and held it through the run to earn his first XTERRA victory, with Chrzanowski finishing second. “This means a lot to me. It is my first XTERRA victory. I only started triathlon last year and came from mountain biking,” Jenčuš said.
Marcel Spandl produced one of the fastest runs of the day to reach third overall and finish as the leading Austrian. The result gave him his fourth Austrian cross-triathlon title and the fifth national championship of his career.
Paula Leupold also made her move on the mountain bike. The 22-year-old German reached the front, protected her advantage through the run and completed her first elite season with her first XTERRA victory. Jacqueline Jauk finished second overall and became the Austrian women’s cross-triathlon champion for the first time, while Carina Wasle moved through the field on the run to take third.
“I’m overjoyed with how the race went. I came here to have fun, and I had so much fun,” Leupold said. Splits, stats, distances and more can be found at XTERRA Results.
Wasle Returns to the Home Podium
Carina Wasle began the run more than four minutes outside the position she would eventually claim. By the finish, she had moved into third overall behind Leupold and Jauk, returning to the podium one year after winning the first XTERRA Austria held in Altaussee.
Wasle entered XTERRA in 2006, making 2026 her 21st season. Her career includes at least 24 XTERRA World Tour victories and competition in 30 countries. Few athletes have stayed connected to the lifestyle for so long while continuing to compete throughout the year.
“I just love this sport and I love the lifestyle. I just love it,” Wasle said in Carina Wasle: Navigating Evolution. Her first two appearances in Altaussee have now produced a victory and a third-place finish, adding two more Austrian results to one of XTERRA’s longest careers.
Youth World Championship Contenders
The 2026 XTERRA Youth Tour is approaching its conclusion, with the Youth World Championship set for October 11 in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Youth A athletes, ages 14–15, competed in the Super Sprint. France’s Cyprien Connes won ahead of Michal Stepanek of the Czech Republic and Austria’s Finn Katzer. Adéla Štěpánková of the Czech Republic led the girls, followed by Switzerland’s Alina Metzger and Austria’s Ida Linsbauer.
The Youth B and Junior athletes competed in the Sprint. Václav Šoula of the Czech Republic won the Youth B boys’ division ahead of Germany’s Linus Gasch and Austria’s Tamino Huys. Sophie Lindner of Germany led the girls, with Italy’s Laura Potauner second and Germany’s Emma Leupold third.
Daniel Oborný of the Czech Republic won the Junior men’s division, followed by Germany’s Florian Uhlig and fellow Czech athlete Vítek Dlouhý. Austria’s Leyla Höfer and Maria Hauser took the first two Junior women’s positions, with Hungary’s Boróka Zilahy completing the podium.
Beyond the Finish Line
German elite Scott Anderson finished ninth overall and eighth among the elite men, while Dominik Wychera placed 11th overall and earned silver in the Austrian championship. Only two minutes separated the longtime friends.
“Austria was cool,” Anderson said. “It’s such a scenic place, the lake is extremely clear, and the elevation you collect within a few kilometres of the bike and run is crazy. I think the decisive, or at least the most selective, part of the race was the run. With roughly 400 meters of elevation over 10 kilometers on some pretty technical trails, both up and down, it’s probably the hardest run course in Europe.”
Wychera came away encouraged by his own performance. “My race played out well. My swim was not great, but the bike and run turned out strong,” he said. “The run is very scenic and probably one of the hardest. I’ll be back next year for sure. A home race is always great.”
Their friendship is at the center of the first episode of XTERRA’s Beyond the Finish Line series. The film follows Wychera’s return after a skiing accident caused eight fractures and led to nine surgeries. The injuries explain the 408-day journey, while the friendship gives the episode much of its warmth.
Anderson remembers receiving a call from Wychera’s mother before one of the surgeries. He stayed close during Wychera’s return to training and then traveled with him to Dunsborough, Western Australia, where the comeback reached its finish line 408 days after the accident.
The two interrupt each other, correct each other, laugh and move between difficult memories and the familiar teasing of close friends. They have since shared weekends at Trentino, Weston Park and now Altaussee.
An Event That Keeps Growing
Wychera credited the people behind XTERRA Austria. “The event is amazing,” he said. “The organizing team has so much experience from the big race in Czech Republic, and they bring all their know-how to Austria to give the athletes the best weekend possible.”
He also saw Altaussee as a place where the people accompanying athletes could enjoy the weekend for themselves. “The location in this old Austrian village, the lake and surrounding mountains are stunning from every perspective,” Wychera said. “Friends and family joining the athletes have good possibilities to relax at the lake, have good coffee or food close to the race and enjoy family time.”
Anderson praised the preparation and the support along the course. “The event is very well organized, and the course was marked early in the week,” he said. “There were heaps of people out on the course to cheer. It was a good atmosphere.”
Race director Jakob Frosch called the second edition “extremely successful” and was especially pleased that everyone reached the finish safely. Michal Pilousek of XTERRA Europe also made clear that Altaussee is viewed as a long-term project rather than a one-off addition.
“We want to make XTERRA Austria bigger in the coming years, attract more participants from Austria and abroad, and continue developing the event at the highest level,” Pilousek said.
Pamela Binder, managing director of Ausseerland Salzkammergut Tourism, placed the event within the region’s larger ambitions. “The unique combination of lake, mountains and demanding courses creates a special setting for cross triathlon,” she said. “Events like this strengthen the international visibility of our region as a sport and nature destination.”
With its first two editions complete, XTERRA Austria has already produced close elite competition, Austrian titles, youth opportunities and two memorable home appearances from Wasle. It has also given Anderson and Wychera another place to meet, compete and create memories together.
Additional race-day reporting and comments from Jenčuš, Frosch, Pilousek and Binder were gathered by Stefanie Breier for HDsports. Event photos published are credited to XTERRA / Ales Bedlik.
Visit XTERRA Europe on Instagram for more highlights from the weekend.