ROTTERDAM, 2 April 2026 – Hundreds of Rotterdammers are expected to take on a new fundraising sports event this summer, as TriALSlon combines swimming, water cycling and running in support of ALS research. The event will take place on 11 July at the Willem-Alexander Baan and aims to raise money for Stichting ALS Nederland.
Image: Initiators Barry Lassche (front), Lucille Luijkx (centre) and the dog (rear) cycle through a typically Dutch landscape.
TriALSlon gives Rotterdam a charity event with a distinctly local twist. Instead of a standard triathlon, this one puts the spotlight on the water, with teams competing in a relay made up of 500 metres of swimming, 2,500 metres of water cycling and 5,000 metres of running.
The initiative comes from HAL Investments, which says the event was created in response to the impact ALS has had within the company. As a Rotterdam-based business, the organisers wanted the event to take shape here in the city. The hope is to draw in both companies and private participants, all raising money through their own networks for Stichting ALS Nederland.
Why this event matters
Behind the sporting challenge sits a much more serious purpose. ALS is a fatal neurological and muscular disease, and the organisers say there is still no adequate treatment. That urgency runs through the event from the start.
Lucille Luijkx, the wife of HAL employee and project leader Barry Lassche, has been living with ALS since 2003. She said: “ALS is heavy because muscles fail one by one. I am lucky that I have remained virtually stable for a very long time and can now commit myself to this beautiful event. Focus on what is possible. At the moment there is still no adequate treatment, but thanks to new research techniques we are on the eve of a possible breakthrough. Support this event and the participants with a donation, because only together can we provide a medicine against this merciless disease. Every euro counts. There is no time to lose!”
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A relay with a Rotterdam edge
The setting helps give TriALSlon its own identity. The Willem-Alexander Baan is already one of the city’s best-known watersports locations, and the organisers are clearly leaning into Rotterdam’s relationship with water and maritime history.
Barry Lassche said: “We hope for a sporting festival atmosphere, with the relay as the attractive main programme. Our goal is to make it a memorable day for both participants and spectators. With a nod to our maritime history, the battle on and around the water takes centre stage.” He added that companies including SBM Offshore, Boskalis, Vopak and FD Mediagroep have already committed their support.
Familiar names join the challenge
The event will also feature a few recognisable Dutch names. Natasja Froger, who has long been involved as an ambassador for Stichting ALS Nederland, is taking part, alongside RTL Boulevard presenter Rob Goossens.
For an international Rotterdam audience, those names may not mean much on their own, but in Dutch media terms they help raise the event’s profile. Froger is known nationally for her long-running charity work and television appearances, while Goossens is a familiar entertainment commentator on one of the country’s biggest showbusiness programmes.
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Aiming for more than one edition
Stichting ALS Nederland says it has seen growing interest in sports-based fundraising in recent years, and it hopes TriALSlon will become part of that momentum. Director Limore Noach said the foundation was pleased when HAL Investments approached it with the idea and is looking forward to taking on the fight against ALS together in Rotterdam.
The organisers are already thinking beyond this first edition. If participation is strong and the fundraising target is met, TriALSlon could become an annual Rotterdam event, giving the city a recurring summer challenge built around sport, solidarity and medical research.
How to get there
TriALSlon takes place at the Willem-Alexander Baan in Rotterdam, the rowing course on the eastern side of the city near Zevenkamp and Nesselande. If you are coming by metro, the nearest connections are in the direction of Nesselande, with the final stretch easiest by bike, car or local transport depending on where you are starting from. It is very much a destination venue rather than a city-centre event site, so it is worth planning your route in advance.
More information
Supporters can sponsor teams via https://trialslon.nl, and for those who move quickly, taking part as a team of three is still one of the options.
