Three challenges are presented which address problems of transfer of training: running marathon, accreditation of study programmes, professional development in consultancies. It is discussed in-how-far and why different approaches to transfer of training stress commonalities or differences between these challenges. The results are used to analyse the overall goal of this special issue, namely improving research on transfer of training through the development of interdisciplinary, integrative research conceptualisations. Two areas of research are discussed, in which such integration already has been implemented: research on expertise and research on situated learning. These areas of research do not explicitly focus on transfer of training, but it is shown how the contributions to this special issue could be related to them.