RET – Rureifel Trail

The RET – Rureifel Trail starts and finishes in the courtyard of Nideggen Castle, a medieval fortress perched on red sandstone cliffs above the Rur valley in the Eifel, south of Düren. Launched in 2024 by Fabian Rahn, a former professional triathlete who lives in the area, the race is organised by Rahn Endurance Sports together with Norbert Wortberg and Ralf Gräf. It takes place on a Saturday in mid-April, just as the Rureifel forests begin to turn green.

Four trail distances make up the programme. The RET77 starts at 07:40 and covers 77 km with 3,040 m of climbing: it takes in the trails around Heimbach, runs along the Rursee reservoir with views over the water, then climbs towards Schmidt before heading back to Nideggen. The RET44+ (46 km, 2,000 m) sets off at 10:25 through Zerkall and the Kall valley, Bergstein and its Burgberg, and Obermaubach, with the Engelsblick and Kuhkopf viewpoints along the way. The RET22 (22 km, 800 m) starts in two waves at 09:10 and 09:20: up the Burgberg at Bergstein, down to Obermaubach, along steep singletrack on the valley slopes and up a tough climb to the forest chapel. The RET11 (11.5 km, 420 m), starting at 10:15, drops to the Rur, follows the paths below the rocks and passes through Brück, Zerkall, Gut Kallerbend and Rath.

The RET HIKE22 and RET HIKE44+ use the 22 km and 46 km courses for hikers, starting at 09:20 and 08:00. Teenagers race the 2.8 km RET Youth at 12:40, and younger children a 1.6 km loop that heads down to the market square, through the pedestrian street and the Zülpich Gate, then back up to the castle. Several courses use the Buntsandsteinroute, the red sandstone trail whose rock formations shape the landscape around Nideggen.

The terrain alternates between forest paths, technical singletrack and rocky sections, with short, sharp climbs rather than long ascents. The RET11 and RET22 suit runners who are already comfortable off road, while the RET44+ and RET77 are aimed at ultra trail runners: both count towards the DUV Cup of the German Ultramarathon Association and are UTMB Index races in the 50K and 100K categories, with the RET22 in the 20K category, and all three award ITRA points. The event is also part of the Regio Aachen Laufcup. Finishers are ranked up to 22:10.

Bibs are collected in the castle courtyard on Friday late afternoon or on Saturday morning, in a time slot specific to each distance. After the race, a vegetarian pasta meal can be booked in the Knights' Hall, and the castle courtyard hosts a beer garden and a small sponsors' expo. Showers are set up in a truck on the market square, about 400 m from the castle. Places are capped on every race, from 350 to 650 runners depending on the distance.