When is the Cologne Triathlon 2027?

The organiser has not published the 2027 date yet (as of 3 October 2026). The last edition took place on Sunday, 6 September 2026 (source: koeln-triathlon.com).

Where is the swim at the Cologne Triathlon?

In the Rhine in central Cologne. Middle and Olympic distance start in Deutz harbour, the sprint at Deutz Bridge, and the exit is at the Rheinpark. There is no swim in Fühlinger See; only the middle-distance bike course turns there (source: koeln-triathlon.com, race pages).

Yes. Wetsuits are mandatory for everyone in the Rhine, regardless of water temperature. A tri suit is not enough. In 2026 a limited rental was available for €50 plus a €150 deposit (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).

Which distances are on offer?

In 2026: middle distance (approx. 2.6 / 87.3 / 19 km), Olympic distance (approx. 2.2 / 45.9 / 9.4 km), sprint (approx. 1.4 / 20 / 4.8 km) and relays on the middle and Olympic distance (source: koeln-triathlon.com, race pages).

Can I join a relay as a runner?

Yes. A relay team has two or three people; with two, one person does two legs back to back. In 2026 the minimum age was 17 (middle-distance relay) or 15 (Olympic relay) in the race year (source: koeln-triathlon.com, relay pages).

How fast does the Cologne Triathlon sell out?

In 2026, all 4,200 places were gone from early in the year (source: koeln-triathlon.com, "Sold out!"). When registration for 2027 opens has not been announced.

Köln Triathlon 2027: Rhine swim, distances and relay

Swim in the Rhine, run over the Hohenzollern Bridge, finish at the Tanzbrunnen: the Cologne Triathlon sold out in 2026 with 4,200 athletes. Here's what the current does to the distances, how the relay works and why you should plan now, even though the 2027 date isn't out yet.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 9 min read

Köln Triathlon 2027: Rhine swim, distances and relay

At the Köln Triathlon (Cologne Triathlon) you don't swim in a lake. You swim in the Rhine, with the current, right through the city centre, and you finish the run by crossing the Hohenzollern Bridge towards the cathedral. The fifth edition on 6 September 2026 set a participation record with around 4,200 athletes (source: koeln-triathlon.com, 2026 recap). The 2027 date has not been published yet (as of 3 October 2026). Because the 2026 race was sold out from early in the year (source: koeln-triathlon.com, "Sold out!"), it still pays to plan now.

What we know for 2027 – and what we don't

Item	Status
2027 date	not published yet (as of 3 October 2026)
Last edition	Sunday, 6 September 2026, 5th edition
Participants 2026	around 4,200, a record
Organiser	Kölner AusdauerSport GmbH
Swim	in the Rhine, start in Deutz harbour (middle and Olympic distance) or at Deutz Bridge (sprint)
Transition	Rheinpark, Cologne-Deutz
Finish	Tanzbrunnen
2026 races	middle distance, Olympic distance, sprint, middle-distance relay, Olympic relay
Wetsuit	mandatory for everyone, regardless of water temperature

Sources: koeln-triathlon.com (race pages, 2026 recap, "Sold out!" news). Distances, times and fees below refer to the 2026 race rules; details may change for 2027.

Swimming in the Rhine: why 2.6 km counts as 1.9 km

The swim distances look too long at first. The reason is the current. Under German Triathlon Union (DTU) rules, a course swum with the current has to be lengthened. The organiser shows the maths (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle, Olympic and sprint distance pages):

Middle distance: approx. 2.6 km, of which 2.2 km in the current and 400 m in the harbour basin. That equals approx. 1.9 km in still water.
Olympic distance: approx. 2.2 km, of which 2.1 km in the current and 100 m in the harbour. That equals approx. 1.5 km.
Sprint: approx. 1.4 km in the current, equal to approx. 750 m.

Middle and Olympic distance start in the Deutz outer harbour, the sprint at Deutz Bridge. Everyone exits at the Rheinpark, where you must cross a timing mat (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance and sprint pages).

Three rules to know before you sign up:

Wetsuits are mandatory for everyone. For safety reasons, a wetsuit is compulsory in the Rhine regardless of water temperature, under a special permit from the federation. A tri suit does not count as a wetsuit (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).
Rentals exist, but they're limited. In 2026, partner sailfish rented wetsuits at the expo for €50 plus a €150 cash deposit, first come, first served (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).
Plan B is a duathlon. If high or low water makes swimming impossible, the swim is cancelled and the race runs as a duathlon, with no refund of the entry fee (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).

What about Fühlinger See? The Köln Triathlon does not swim there. The middle-distance bike course, however, runs along the left bank of the Rhine up to Fühlinger See and back (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance). Other formats with lake swims are in our overview of triathlons in NRW 2027.

Three distances on one Sunday

This is how race day looked in 2026 (source: koeln-triathlon.com, race pages):

	Middle distance	Olympic distance	Sprint
Swim	approx. 2.6 km	approx. 2.2 km	approx. 1.4 km
Bike	approx. 87.3 km (2 laps)	approx. 45.9 km (1 lap)	approx. 20 km (1 short lap)
Run	approx. 19 km (4 laps)	approx. 9.4 km (2 laps)	approx. 4.8 km (1 lap)
Start 2026	8:00 am	10:30 am	1:30 pm
Entries	1,000	1,400	1,200
Minimum age	18 on race day	turning 18 in race year	turning 16 in race year
Day licence without DTU race licence	€22	€21	–

In 2026, the bike cut-off for all races was 4 pm and the finish closed at 5 pm (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance). The bike courses are fully closed to traffic; they cross the Deutz and Severin bridges, run almost to the Gremberg motorway junction and the LANXESS arena, and follow the left bank of the Rhine (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance and sprint pages). The organiser describes the course as flat and fast.

If training goes better than expected: in 2026 you could upgrade to a longer distance until 23 August, for a €25 fee plus the difference to the current entry price (source: koeln-triathlon.com, Olympic distance). Entry fees rise by quota tiers. In 2026 every tier on every distance sold out, so the prices are no longer shown on the site.

The relay: triathlon with two or three people

For a running group, the relay is the easiest way in. One person swims, one rides, one runs. Two people also work, with one person doing two legs back to back; under-18s are not allowed to do that (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle-distance relay).

	Middle-distance relay	Olympic relay
Courses	same as middle distance	same as Olympic distance
Teams 2026	75	125
Minimum age	turning 17 in race year	turning 15 in race year
Ranking	overall, regardless of gender	overall, regardless of gender

Source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle-distance relay and Olympic relay.

Only the team captain has to attend the race briefing (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle-distance relay). And it's not just for pros: the 2025 Olympic relay was won by a team called "Gewinnen kannste dat Ding eh nicht" (Cologne dialect for "you can't win this thing anyway") in 1:54:14 (source: koeln-triathlon.com, Olympic relay).

A practical tip for running groups: whoever loves running most takes the run leg, and the others find a swimmer or cyclist among friends. Regular Lauftreffs (group runs) where you can meet the right people are listed under running in Cologne.

The run course, translated for runners

The run is a loop on closed paths along the Rhine and over the Hohenzollern Bridge, mostly fenced, with crossing points for pedestrians (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance). What that means for you:

Laps, not point to point. Four laps on the middle distance, two on the Olympic, one on the sprint. Pace by laps rather than kilometre signs.
The bridge keeps coming back. At the right-bank end of the Hohenzollern Bridge, spectators can see each athlete up to eight times: twice in the sprint, four times on the Olympic and eight times on the middle distance (source: koeln-triathlon.com, spectators). Friends standing there give you a lift every time.
Your legs come off the bike. The first kilometres after riding feel unlike any running race you know. Add short runs straight after a ride in the weeks before.
No pacers. Nobody may run alongside you or hand you supplies, and a top is mandatory (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).

The cheering route for friends and family

The organiser lists five spots where spectators see the most. All courses are close together, but bring some walking motivation (source: koeln-triathlon.com, spectators):

Swim start: Deutz harbour for middle and Olympic distance, Deutz Bridge for the sprint. You can follow the swimmers along the riverbank to the exit.
Swim exit and transition: in the Rheinpark north of the Tanzbrunnen, lined with spectators all the way into transition.
Hohenzollern Bridge, bike: left bank; the organiser suggests a spot diagonally opposite the Musical Dome.
Hohenzollern Bridge, run: right bank, with up to eight passes per athlete.
Finish: a lap of honour through the Tanzbrunnen.

The results tool projects split times so you know when to be where (source: koeln-triathlon.com, spectators). For public transport, the organiser points to Koelnmesse Deutz station and Cologne main station (source: koeln-triathlon.com, courses).

2026 recap: a record and more women on the start line

The Köln Triathlon in its current form started in 2021 with 2,250 entries; in 2026 there were 4,200, and every place had gone since early in the year (source: koeln-triathlon.com, "Sold out!"). The share of women rose in all three individual races: almost a third on the Olympic distance and just under 44 per cent in the sprint (source: koeln-triathlon.com, "Sold out!").

In 25-degree heat, Alexander Kull won the middle distance in 3:25:05 and Jenny Jendryschick in 3:49:29 (source: koeln-triathlon.com, 2026 recap). Max Menzel (2:00:09) and Johanna Lorenz (2:23:43) won the Olympic distance, Tjelle Fengler (1:07:56) and Anna Brehler (1:11:11) the sprint (source: koeln-triathlon.com, 2026 recap).

Planning your first triathlon from a running group

Many people who run regularly in Cologne already have one discipline covered. What's missing is open water and the bike. Together with ProAthletes and Triathlon Crew Cologne, the organiser sells 12-week plans, including a sprint plan called "From zero to triathlon in 12 weeks" for people who only master one of the three disciplines (source: koeln-triathlon.com, training).

Since the 2027 date is still missing, count back from the last edition for now: twelve weeks before 6 September 2026 was Sunday, 14 June. Once the new date is out, shift your plan accordingly. Right now, registration matters more than the plan: in 2026, everything was gone early in the year. Those still looking for a place in 2026 could use the official entry exchange until 23 August; the buyer paid the current price tier plus a €25 transfer fee (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).

Students had their own ranking in 2026, the Kölner Studi-Werk Cup: anyone enrolled at a Cologne university got 10 per cent off after the first price tier (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).

The Köln Triathlon is run by the same organiser as the Cologne Marathon. If you're after a middle distance with a swim in a rowing course, the IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg is held at the end of August. All running races in the city to get you fit over the summer are in our annual overview of running events in Cologne.

If you are already thinking beyond the middle distance, the big races are in our overview of the biggest triathlons and IRONMAN races in Germany.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the Cologne Triathlon 2027?: The organiser has not published the 2027 date yet (as of 3 October 2026). The last edition took place on Sunday, 6 September 2026 (source: koeln-triathlon.com).
Where is the swim at the Cologne Triathlon?: In the Rhine in central Cologne. Middle and Olympic distance start in Deutz harbour, the sprint at Deutz Bridge, and the exit is at the Rheinpark. There is no swim in Fühlinger See; only the middle-distance bike course turns there (source: koeln-triathlon.com, race pages).
Do I need a wetsuit?: Yes. Wetsuits are mandatory for everyone in the Rhine, regardless of water temperature. A tri suit is not enough. In 2026 a limited rental was available for €50 plus a €150 deposit (source: koeln-triathlon.com, middle distance).
Which distances are on offer?: In 2026: middle distance (approx. 2.6 / 87.3 / 19 km), Olympic distance (approx. 2.2 / 45.9 / 9.4 km), sprint (approx. 1.4 / 20 / 4.8 km) and relays on the middle and Olympic distance (source: koeln-triathlon.com, race pages).
Can I join a relay as a runner?: Yes. A relay team has two or three people; with two, one person does two legs back to back. In 2026 the minimum age was 17 (middle-distance relay) or 15 (Olympic relay) in the race year (source: koeln-triathlon.com, relay pages).
How fast does the Cologne Triathlon sell out?: In 2026, all 4,200 places were gone from early in the year (source: koeln-triathlon.com, "Sold out!"). When registration for 2027 opens has not been announced.