RaceRanger Makes History At Challenge Wānaka 2025

Wanaka, New Zealand – Challenge Wānaka 2025 delivered another spectacular few days of racing, with athletes taking on the stunning yet demanding course around Lake Wānaka and the surrounding Southern Alps. As one of the most scenic triathlon festivals in the world, the event once again showcased the spirit of endurance sports in one of the most breathtaking settings in the world. Close to 3,000 athletes of all ages competed over three days.

Christchurch's Mike Phillips stormed to victory in the 19th edition of Challenge Wanaka, delivering a commanding performance to claim the title at the 2025 Gallagher Insurance Challenge Wanaka Half. In the women’s race, local Wanaka triathlete Danielle Donaldson continued her breakout season with a remarkable victory.

A key highlight of this year’s event was the world-first age-group trial of RaceRanger, an innovative drafting detection system designed to enhance fair play and improve race experience. Approximately 300 individual age-group athletes had the opportunity to test RaceRanger, providing invaluable feedback as the technology moves closer to large-scale implementation.

Speaking after the event, RaceRanger co-founder and CEO James Elvery shared his insights on the trial's success and the road ahead:

"We’re really pleased with how the trial went. The feedback from athletes has been overwhelmingly positive. Many appreciated the clarity RaceRanger provided—eliminating any guesswork around drafting distances and making the racing experience fairer. One athlete told us, ‘Now there’s no question about the distance—you have to be honest with yourself and other athletes.’ That’s exactly what we want to achieve."

While this trial was a crucial step, scaling RaceRanger to thousands of athletes remains the ultimate goal. The challenge lies in refining the technology to be more user-friendly, self-managed, and easily scalable. Currently, each bike is fitted with two devices that use light indicators to show drafting distances. The next step involves connecting these devices to the internet, making them completely self-guiding, and enabling their use as live trackers—offering real-time data for spectators, technical officials and race organizers.

"We chose Wānaka because it’s the perfect size event to test what needs to change before we can scale up," Elvery explained. "We need to streamline distribution—ideally, in the future, athletes will pick up RaceRanger units in their race packs and fit them themselves. We also need to improve device activation, management, and post-race retrieval."

What’s Next for RaceRanger?

This event was a major step toward transitioning RaceRanger from a prototype to a fully scalable product that can be used by serious competitors and recreational triathletes alike. The technology has been proven in the professional field, but expanding to age-group racing is essential for the company’s growth.

"There are only so many pro races in the world. To truly make RaceRanger viable, we need to take it further and reach the mass participation market. This trial doesn’t mean we’re jumping to a 3,000-athlete event next month—but it’s a key step in that direction," Elvery said. "We’ve got a lot of engineering work ahead to refine the system, from enhancing usability to ensuring seamless connectivity for larger race fields."

Beyond drafting detection, the future of RaceRanger could see it becoming an essential tool for race tracking, athlete safety, and enhancing the spectator experience. "We’re looking forward to seeing how this device can aid the sport in more ways than just drafting detection," Elvery added.

For athletes looking to experience an unforgettable race, Challenge Wānaka remains a bucket-list event. Elvery, who has a personal connection to the race and now lives in Wānaka, reinforced this: "For anyone listening, this is the race to put on your bucket list. Everyone says that, but you really do need to come and do this one."

With 2026 marking the 20th anniversary of Challenge Wānaka, next year’s event promises to be even bigger and better. If you want to be part of triathlon history while racing in one of the most scenic locations in the world, now is the time to start planning for 2026!

Stay tuned on RaceRanger’s evolution and join us next year for another unforgettable Challenge Wānaka.

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