2026 Europe Triathlon Challenge Long Distance Championships Almere-Amsterdam

Almere-Amsterdam sends athletes through a full long-distance triathlon entirely below sea level in the Netherlands. The race is held in September around Almere and the Amsterdam area, with a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride, and 42.2 km run over flat, open terrain. It is also the Europe Triathlon Challenge Long Distance Championships, with equal prize payouts for men and women and a total prize purse of 40,000 euros. The day starts with two counterclockwise swim laps in the Weerwater, beginning beside the Kunstlinie theater on the Esplanade in Almere Stad, before athletes exit at Lumierepark for the first transition. The bike course uses two 90.7 km laps: it runs beside the Weerwater, through the woods of Almere Haven, then west toward Lelystad with water on the left for about 45 km, views toward Amsterdam across the IJmeer on clear days, and the Oostvaardersplassen wildlife reserve on the right. Almere-Amsterdam is listed as the world’s second-oldest triathlon after Hawaii, and participant feedback is strong, including an average race score of 8.7 and a swim-course approval rating of 94% good or very good.