Triathlon on the Steinhuder Meer: 1,700 athletes in action despite the rain!

Triathlon on the Steinhuder Meer: 1,700 athletes in action despite the rain!

A very special sporting spectacle took place on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at Lake Steinhuder. The 2. Steinhuder Meer Triathlon attracted around 1,700 sports-loving participants who took on two distances of swimming, cycling and running.

The event took place in the picturesque towns of Wunstorf and Steinhude. With over 500 athletes taking on the challenging middle distance and a further 1,200 running on the sprint course, the event was a real highlight of the region. Particularly praised was Christian Haupt, local hero and four-time Ironman age group world champion, who took first place in the middle distance. Timo Warnecke and Sascha Sokolowski followed him in second and third place.

Competitions in harsh weather

Although the conditions were challenging with rain and cool temperatures, the athletes were not discouraged. On the women's side, Christina Paulus impressively demonstrated her talent and successfully defended her title, followed by Camilla Zaage from Bremen and Naima Diesner, who stepped in at short notice and took third place.

Mayor Carten Piellusch (SPD) described the event as a “milestone for Wunstorf to become a sports city”, which underlines the importance of this event. Loud auepost The organizers, led by Jan Raphael, were visibly satisfied with the response to the triathlon, despite a small decrease in the number of participants compared to the previous year. The reason for this is that no German university championships or state championships took place.

Security aspects and further developments

In order to improve the safety of cyclists, the cycling route was optimized: wider streets and less oncoming traffic made for a more pleasant cycling experience. The course lengths have also been adapted to the traditional 70.3 Ironman format, indicating continued improvement. There were also innovations in the organization, such as a redesigned start number distribution and check-in areas, which made the process easier for the participants. All information and registration options are on the official website Steinhuder Meer Triathlons to find.

The triathlon was also the start of the 2025 Triathlon State League and offered various distances in both individual and relay formats. The participants were once again able to demonstrate their endurance and performance and compete at a high sporting level.

Overall, the 2nd Steinhuder Meer Triathlon was a successful event that not only united athletes but also strengthened the community. It remains to be seen how this event will develop in the future.