Germany
IRONMAN in Germany: which race to choose
6 IRONMAN races in Germany: 2 full-distance races and 4 IRONMAN 70.3. The month and the bike climbing set them apart more than the water.
Where the figures come from
Each figure on this page is read from the race pages of the catalogue and recalculated whenever a race is updated. Distances, cut-offs and climbing come from the organiser. Water temperatures are averages for the race month: they describe a typical day, not a forecast.
The page covers IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3, plus DATEV Challenge Roth, the other major full distance held in Germany. The country has 25 races in the catalogue in total, many of them local Olympic and middle distances: the Germany page lists them all.
IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3 and 5150 in Germany
Add a month or a distance to narrow the list.
- 5150 Kraichgau
Kraichgau, Germany
- Date
- 23 May 2027
- Distance
- Olympic
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 19 °C
- Bike
- Hilly
- Run
- Rolling
- Entries
- Open
- IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau
Kraichgau, Germany
- Date
- 23 May 2027
- Distance
- Middle
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 19 °C
- Bike
- Hilly
- Run
- Rolling
- Entries
- Sold out
- IRONMAN Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany
- Date
- 6 Jun 2027
- Distance
- Full
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 21 °C
- Bike
- Flat
- Run
- Rolling
- Entries
- Sold out
- IRONMAN Frankfurt
Frankfurt, Germany
- Date
- 27 Jun 2027
- Distance
- Full
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 23 °C
- Bike
- Rolling
- Run
- Rolling
- Entries
- Sold out
- IRONMAN 70.3 Leipzig
Leipzig, Germany
- Date
- 8 Aug 2027
- Distance
- Middle
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 22 °C
- Bike
- Flat
- Run
- Flat
- Entries
- Sold out
- IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg
Duisburg, Germany
- Date
- 29 Aug 2027
- Distance
- Middle
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 21 °C
- Bike
- Flat
- Run
- Rolling
- Entries
- Sold out
- 5150 Erkner
Erkner, Germany
- Date
- 11 Sept 2027
- Distance
- Olympic
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 20 °C
- Bike
- Flat
- Run
- Flat
- Entries
- Opening soon
- IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner
Erkner, Germany
- Date
- 12 Sept 2027
- Distance
- Middle
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 20 °C
- Bike
- Flat
- Run
- Flat
- Entries
- Sold out
Full distance: Hamburg or Frankfurt
The 2 IRONMAN full-distance races are IRONMAN Hamburg, IRONMAN Frankfurt. These races were shown as sold out for 2027 on 19 October 2026.
Hamburg comes first, in early June. The swim starts at the Jungfernstieg and crosses the Inner and Outer Alster in one lap. The bike heads out along the Elbe dykes into the Vier- und Marschlande, for 400 m of climbing.
Frankfurt follows in late June. Two laps in the Langener Waldsee, a lake in the city forest, then two bike loops with 1316 m of climbing and T2 on the Mainkai by the river. The cut-offs of each race are set out in its athlete guide.
Challenge Roth: the other major full distance
DATEV Challenge Roth is held in July on the Challenge Family circuit, not IRONMAN. It covers the same 3.8 km, 180 km and 42.2 km.
The swim is in the Main-Donau canal. The two bike loops include the Solarer Berg climb, for 1570 m in total, more than Frankfurt. The cut-off is 15 h. The organiser describes a race that sells out in seconds, and the catalogue shows it sold out for 2027. The Challenge Family guide covers the rest of the circuit.
IRONMAN 70.3: lakes from May to September
The 4 IRONMAN 70.3 races are IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau, IRONMAN 70.3 Leipzig, IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg, IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner.
Kraichgau opens the season in May and has the hilly course: 860 m over one 90 km loop through what the organiser calls the land of 1,000 hills. The swim is in the Hardtsee at Ubstadt-Weiher.
The others are flat. Leipzig, first held in 2026, swims in Lake Cospuden from a sandy beach. Duisburg swims in the rowing regatta course of the Sportpark, opened in 1935, and rides along the Rhine towards Moers. Erkner, on the eastern edge of Berlin, swims in the Dämeritzsee and has the least climbing: 50 m.
A season from May to September
May. Kraichgau, with the 5150 Kraichgau over the Olympic distance on the same day.
June and July. Hamburg, then Frankfurt, then Roth. The full distances fall within four weeks, so one of them is a realistic second race only for those who recover fast.
August and September. Leipzig and Duisburg in August, Erkner in September, the day after the 5150 Erkner.
Hamburg, Frankfurt and Roth on the same rows
Month, water, climbing and cut-off, side by side.
IRONMAN Hamburg
IRONMAN Frankfurt
DATEV Challenge Roth
- Race 1 IRONMAN Hamburg
- Race 2 IRONMAN Frankfurt
- Race 3 DATEV Challenge Roth
- Circuit
- IRONMANIRONMANChallenge Family
- Distance
- Full distanceFull distanceFull distance
- Terrain
- RoadRoadRoad
- Swim
- 3.8 km3.8 km3.8 km
- Bike
- 180 km180 km180 km
- Run
- 42.2 km42.2 km42.2 km
- Date
- 6 Jun 202727 Jun 20274 Jul 2027
- Country
- GermanyGermanyGermany
- Registration
- Sold outSold outSold out
- Swim venue
- LakeLakeCanal
- Average water temperature
- 21 °C23 °C23 °C
- High air temperature
- 20 °C33 °C25 °C
- Low air temperature
- 10 °C20 °C14 °C
- Bike profile
- FlatRollingRolling
- Bike elevation gain
- 400 m1,316 m1,570 m
- Run profile
- RollingRollingFlat
- Run elevation gain
- 77 m88 m164 m
- Overall cut-off
- 15 h 30 minn/a15 h
- Altitude
- 9 m113 m339 m
- First edition
- 201720021984
- Swim start
- Rolling startRolling startWave start
- Entry fee, from
- n/an/a€779
What the averages leave out
Average water temperatures run from 19 °C to 23 °C, below the 24.5 °C up to which IRONMAN allows age-group athletes to wear a wetsuit. The reading on race morning decides, and the wetsuit rules guide sets out every threshold.
Places are the real constraint. On 19 October 2026, ironman.com showed IRONMAN Frankfurt and IRONMAN Hamburg as sold out for 2027. For the IRONMAN 70.3, the status shown on each race page is the one to check. Registration is always done on the organiser's site.
To compare Germany with the rest of the continent, see the IRONMAN in Europe guide and the half-distance races in Europe.
Questions
How many IRONMAN races are there in Germany?
The catalogue lists 6: 2 full-distance races and 4 IRONMAN 70.3. The 5150 races add 2 Olympic distances.
Which IRONMAN in Germany has the flattest bike course?
Over the full distance it is IRONMAN Hamburg, with 400 m of climbing. Over the 70.3, IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner, with 50 m.
Is Challenge Roth an IRONMAN race?
No. It belongs to the Challenge Family circuit, with the same distances as an IRONMAN. Its results do not qualify for the IRONMAN World Championship.
Which German 70.3 suits a first half distance?
A flat bike helps. 3 of them climb less than 200 m: IRONMAN 70.3 Leipzig, IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg, IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner. By contrast, IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau climbs 860 m.
Can I still enter IRONMAN Frankfurt or Hamburg for 2027?
On 19 October 2026, ironman.com showed them as sold out. Places can reopen through the organiser, and only its site takes entries.
Pick the month, then the race
Open the finder on IRONMAN races in Germany, or answer a few questions to get a shortlist.
