indeland Triathlon

18th indeland Triathlon — Swim, Cycle, Run in the Rhenish Mining Region

The indeland Triathlon is one of the most traditional triathlon races in western North Rhine-Westphalia. On Sunday, June 21, 2026, the 18th edition will take place at the Blausteinsee in Inden. The former opencast mine lake, with its over 100 hectares of water surface and drinking water quality, forms the spectacular swimming backdrop, and the adjacent Römerpark serves as the transition and running zone.

Distances for Every Challenge

The race offers a full range of distances — from beginner sprints to middle distances:

• Sprint distance — 750 m swim / 20 km bike / 5 km run
• Olympic distance — 1,500 m swim / 40 km bike / 10 km run
• Middle distance — 1,900 m swim / 90 km bike / 21 km run
• Relay — as a 3-person team over the Olympic distance

The registration deadline is June 4, 2026; no late registration on race day. The 2026 race announcement with exact course details, classifications, and age groups is available as a PDF on indeland-triathlon.de.

Course — from Blausteinsee through the Rurtal

The swim start is at the main beach of the Blausteinsee, with the transition to the Römerpark. The cycling route leads over asphalt country roads through the Rurtal valley towards Pier, Niederzier, and back — slightly hilly, technically undemanding, ideal for personal best times. The running course is a circuit through the Römerpark Inden, a renatured area of the former Inden opencast mine.

Inden — Structural Change in the Rhenish Mining Region

Inden is a municipality in the Düren district in North Rhine-Westphalia, embedded in the Indeland — the region undergoing structural change after lignite mining. The Blausteinsee was created from the former Inden I opencast mine and is now a recreational area with a lido, marina, and hiking trails. Triathletes experience firsthand how an industrial landscape is transformed into a sports and leisure backdrop.

Major Regional Event

With several hundred starters annually and thousands of spectators, the indeland Triathlon is a fixture on the North Rhine-Westphalian triathlon calendar. Families accompany the athletes along the course, regional clubs provide aid stations, and the award ceremony in the MediaWelt at Blausteinsee concludes the race day. The town of Jülich and Indeland GmbH support the event as partners — the triathlon is part of regional sports promotion.