Whats up ST? Lifetime was nice enough to hook me up with an entry so ill be headed to chicago at the end of the month and had a few questions on how things have gone in prior years…
A. How is the traffic morning of event?
B. Any recommendation on where to stay?
To be honest, they try to control the traffic but this is Chicago we are talking about. You should definitely plan on being at the race very early. I also am here looking for somewhere to stay in Chicago. Someone suggested I look at the Choose Chicago company to find chicago hotels but I also wanted to get some advice from people who have been before. The last time I was there, I stayed at a hotel that I do not want to go back to. Thanks for the advice on where to stay!
Seeing as you’re pretty late to the game, I’d book on Hotwire. Pick a 3 or 4 star, Michigan Ave. or Loop.
No matter what, you’ll be a 10 minute bike ride away from transition. There really isn’t any parking to speak of around transition, nearly everybody rides their bike or gets dropped off.
I’ve never noticed traffic being particularly heinous. Transition is huge (10k racers). There is a good chance your wave doesn’t hit water until 3hours after transition closes, so plan for that. Logistics can be tricky.
I’ve done the race once, I’ll never do it again, and I live 10 minutes north. I could complain about the race all day, but I won’t. It’ll be a fun day for you.
Let me know if I can help any more.
-Ed
do we have to do bike checkin the night before? or is it a morning of check in?
im staying at the W…
I was hoping this was going to be a nice event… No?
bike check in is the morning of the race. i’ve had it as bad as transition close @ 6a, wave start at 9:30a.
it’s a crowded race. lakeshore drive is not fully closed…it’s 2 lanes cars, 2 lanes bikes. you pass on the right (traffic side).
being such a large race, in a major metro area, there are a large % of cruisers, mtn bikes, etc.
it’s a fun race, an experience for sure, but for most, a 1 & done.
The real question is do they have noodles??
No. They have a rope tied to the shore wall that a good 25% of competitors pull themselves along.
I think it is a great event, but you just have to remember what you’re getting into… it is the largest (participant wise) triathlon in the US and it doesn’t get to be much more of an urban race setting. There are some considerations that go along with that, such as having around 50 swim waves and limited parking. I did the Triple Challenge last year - had a blast! I’m very much looking forward to going back this year.
I know you can bring your bike in on race morning and I do not recall checking it the night before as being an option.
You have to be there so early that traffic is not a problem. The issue is getting into transition after the race to get your stuff and fighting traffic to get out of the city.
I did the sprint last year and I was one of the first 6 waves I believe so I was there early. I live in Evanston, just north, and the traffic was fine when I went. It probably took the usual 25 minutes to get there and my dad dropped me off at transition then went to park on the street. If you are there early enough there should be street parking but if not there are some big garages out there, assuming they’re not closed for some reason. But if you are one of the later waves and do not want to be there so early I am not sure what traffic will be like since they do close lanes going each way on LSD from the transition area going north.
Assuming you are at the W Lakeshore, I used to live a few blocks from there when I regularly did the Chicago Tri. You are a 5 minute bike ride to the north entrance to transition and a 15 minute walk. If you have a late wave start you have enough time to walk back to the hotel, sleep, eat, take care of business in the comfort of your hotel bathroom and make it back to the race start in plenty of time. The years I had late starts I would set up my stuff in transition early and get out of there ASAP to leave the chaos. Rested up for a few hours and headed back to the start. The event is certainly an experience. If you have a late start time don’t expect, or shoot for, a PR that day - it won’t be safe to try. Early wave start and you will not have too many people to swim through and the bike course will be fairly open.
im actually staying at W City Center… better room, little bit cheaper, and probably worth the walk
I’ve done this race 3X. It is an “experience”. I believe it’s the biggest Tri in the world…3 races, like 10 divisions per race. (Athena, Clydesdale etc. ad nauseum.)
Stay downtown. You should be able to find a room… The Red Roof Inn on Ontario has always worked for me, 'cause I’m cheap. I agree w/dropping gear early. Transition opens up at (I think 4:00). You can easily get back to your hotel and nap, chill whatever. A couple of notes on the ride:
It’s a 2 loop course, there’s a second loop turnoff at Randolph Street. DON’T miss this. My first time I ended up throwing my bike over across a 5 ft. gap on Lakeshore, and leaping “spidey” style across, 40 feet over the roadway below, to get turned around. I probably added 10 min. to my bike time with that little f-up. Also, the bike course is rough. There are expansion joints, potholes and open seems to contend with. On the other side of the road obstacles are debris fields of ejected waterbottles, bento bags, sunglasses, the occasional bar extension and body parts. There’s tons of carnage. And the fun of cars whipping by on the outside at 70+ mph. There are a shitload of squirrley fat chicks (and guys) on mountain bikes to deal with, lots wearing headphones. However, the view of Chicago when you make the turn is worth it.
The swim is cold, get your face wet first if you can.
The run is ok, if a little tight.
Good luck!
My first time I ended up throwing my bike over across a 5 ft. gap on Lakeshore, and leaping “spidey” style across, 40 feet over the roadway below, to get turned around.
Seriously, that is obsurd! Where were you?
I did the race several years ago and the only thing I can add is to get used to passing on the right, and be carefult at both turnarounds on the bike. The swim is great, the rest of the course is super crowded, but a good experience overall and a very well-organized event. It is a PR course on paper, but you probably wont PR due to the traffic on the course.
I missed the “2nd loop” turn, and ended up going up the Lakeshore ramp. I was still paralell to the course, but seperated by a wall/5 ft.gap/wall, heading south instead of north. Lkshore is elevated over Randolph Street at that point. It was hairy, esp. w/Tri shoes on.
Let me ask a question to those that did this race in the past…From the posts above it sounds like a chaotic and kinda risky (traffic running on passing side, 10k people on the same loop)…Should i:
A. Goto the event and do it for the experience.
or
B. Save the stress and use the money i would spend on hotel/food to enter a couple local events?
If it were you which one would you do? I got the entry for free so it wouldnt be a big deal to miss it…
Im going, just for the experience, and to check it off my list
.
I raced it twice when I was living in town. First year was in the 3rd wave and exited the water in 17:50. Second time was in the 2nd to last wave and got out in 21:10 - with every other swim result up to then being on par or slightly faster that year. Even the swim can be a mess. The bike course really doesn’t feel all that crowded with 2 full lanes to ride in and most people out for a lark. Even with starting so late, after 8k others, I was able to roll pretty well without interruption - there definitely are not 10k people in the span of 12 miles as many are in the sprint, and others either haven’t started yet or won’t start for a while yet. The occasional weave side to side to get around people not passing but riding on the right was my biggest issue. And auto traffic later in the day builds to the point that they’re really not traveling very quickly, so you shouldn’t worry too much about getting passed by cars whizzing by. The run is definitely busy, as it’s a continuous stream of bodies for 6 miles along a bike path that’s maybe 10 feet wide. That’s the part where you’ll notice being slowed, but generally people are polite and know to move out of the way. It is the Midwest.
Personally, I’m not planning on racing it again. But that’s due largely to the fact that entry fees are outrageous for what you get compared to a lot of other, smaller races around the country (though the AG awards are pretty solid - got about $200 worth of merchandise for 2nd) and partially due to the logistics of dropping the bike off at 5:30, and then waiting at a minimum 2.5 hours for the first oly wave. I don’t deal to well with those types of situations. If you want the trip to Chicago and some good eats (anybody say foie gras hot dogs?) and the experience of riding on a closed freeway, go for it. If you’d prefer the experience of having a great race locally, you’re probably not going to be too impressed by it all.