Today's Hours
The Forge Off-Road Triathlon, part of the USAT Gravel Series, is a unique short course, multi-sport event that offers an exhilarating, adventurous experience for triathletes of all abilities, from beginner to professional.
Registration Includes:
Entry to the race, electronically timed results, earned overall and age group awards, a cool Forge t-shirt and post-race party with food, beer, and other beverages.
THIS EVENT HAS PASSED.
The following information is regarding our 2023 Off-Road Triathlon:
The Forge Off-Road Triathlon takes place in The Forge: Lemont Quarries for the swim, bike and run portions. The run will wind through the trails within the adventure park, the adjoining trails of the Heritage Quarries Recreation Area, and I&M Trails, all located adjacent to historic downtown Lemont. Athletes and spectators will enjoy exclusive views of The Forge’s exhilarating attractions and natural ecosystem, which includes the historic I&M Canal and multiple quarry lakes.
New This Year in 2023:
Aquabike = Swim + Bike Format
Relay Option = 2 or 3 Person Relay, any combination of gender.
Our off-road triathlon offers unique distances: an approximated 540-yard swim, 10.7 mile gravel bike, and a 3+ mile trail run. Triathletes can prepare for a challenge that includes:
Final Course maps will be released well before race day. Below is a preliminary course description and map based on the 2022 event. There may be adjustments to the course for the 2023 race.
The swim portion will be ~ 540 yards of open water in the natural, spring-fed Forge Quarry with a time trial start from the dock. The course will be a rectangle, starting from the dock, swimming clockwise, with three right hand turns at large buoys. The swim portion will finish and exit on the dock on ladders. The dock will have two way traffic on it with swimmers lining up to start and athletes exiting the swim headed to T1. Please stay to your left at all times on the dock.
The bike course is a 10.7 mile route of two loops on a lollipop style course. There is a short, approximately .3 mile section that is the stick on the lollipop, then a ~5 mile loop that will be ridden twice. The bike course is on crushed limestone trails and some gravel roads. It is flat and not technical but will have a few ruts, bumps, small hills, several sharp turns, wooden bridge crossings, and loose gravel sections.
The run course is ~3+ miles on mixed terrain, including crushed limestone and a section of MTB single-track trails. It is mostly flat, but will have a few technical and small hill sections, including dirt, rocks and mulch covered trails.
Transition: Transition will be located in the lawn area by The Mount within the park. It will be a short ~500 foot run from the Swim exit to T1 on a carpeted surface. Bike racks will be organized by wave / bib number, but bikes will not be assigned a specific space.
Aquabike: Aquabikers will rack their bikes before taking a short sprint to the finish line. Completing their race after both swimming and biking the courses described above.
Relay Teams: Relay racers must stay in the transition area until they have completed their leg of the race. Timing device must be transferred to respective competitor within transition area. The timing device must be on each relay member at the start and finish of their portion of the race.
Below are links to the 2022 course maps. There may be some adjustments to the course for the 2023 race.
Entry Fees:
Tier 1 (Tri 1st 75 | Relay 1st 10)
Aquabike $75 | Relay $225 per team
Tier 3 (Individual Triathletes)
Tri and Aquabike $95 | Relay $285 per team
Relay Registration: Any combination of 2 -3 team members with any combination by gender are allowed. In other words, teams will not be limited to be all female or all male. First Team Member / Captain creates the team, pays the full relay team fee, then the other team members can register by joining that team.
USAT Membership: As a USAT sanctioned event and part of the Gravel Series, all registrants must hold an annual USAT license or purchase a one day pass. This process is integrated with your registration.
Includes:
Online registration closes Monday, July 10, 2023.
No race day registration will be available. TBD if registration will be available at packet pick-up if the event is not sold out.
Join Coach Liz Waterstraat from Multisport Mastery for an open water swim class to prepare for The Forge Off-Road Triathlon!
OPEN-WATER DATES:
The 6:30 am classes will be more suitable for intermediate and advanced swimmers. We will go through a mix of skills, tactics & an open water swim workout. The 7:30 am classes are designed for those more timid or beginner swimmers. We will work on form, comfort & confidence in the water. The 6:30 pm class is for all.
TO REGISTER:
For questions or more information, please contact Coach Liz at [email protected].
Use Lots 1 or 2 after the 2nd stop sign on the gravel road. They are the closest to the bridges to enter The Forge, packet pick-up, and the start and finish line area.
Important Parking Info:
On Race Day, we encourage carpooling. The Forge has adequate parking, but the race field, volunteers and spectators will maximize the use of our parking lots. Please follow signs and volunteers directing you to parking. Athletes will park in the lots on the north side of the I&M Canal, which is a short walk across the bridges to The Forge.
Please note that after the race begins, vehicles will not be permitted to enter or exit the park until after the race is complete at approximately 9:30 am. The park access road is part of the bike course and will be closed once the race starts.
Athletes or spectators who may need to leave early should park in the public lots or street parking in downtown Lemont and ride or walk to The Forge, approximately 1 -1 ½ miles.
The shuttle system at the Metra Station will not be available on race day.
Only the registered athlete can pick up their own race packet. All athletes must show a valid picture ID. As a USAT sanctioned race, there will be no exceptions to this rule.
Thursday July 20th
4:30 PM - 7:00 PM
34 W. Jefferson Ave.
Naperville, IL 60540
Friday July 21st
Noon - 6:30 PM
1001 Main St.
Lemont, IL 60439
at The Foundry
Race Day
Saturday July 22nd
5:15 AM – 6:30 AM
1001 Main St.
Lemont, IL 60439
at The Foundry
5:00 AM – Parking Opens
5:15 AM – Transition and Race Day Packet Pick-Up Open
6:30 AM – Transition Set-Up & Packet Pick-Up Closes
6:40 AM – Wave Line-Up Begins. Swim staging by Wave / Bib # on the lower quarry shelf near the dock and The Foundry
6:45 AM – Course Talk / Briefing – Near the Swim Start
6:50 AM – Start Line-Up Ends
6:50 AM – National Anthem
6:55 AM – Wave 1 / Elite Start
7:20 AM – Last Swimmer Starts
7:45 AM – Anticipated 1st Finisher
8:00 AM – Post Race Food / Beverage Available
9:15 AM – Anticipated Last Finisher
~9:15 AM – Transition Opens for Exit / Departure
9:30 AM – Awards at The Mount & Post-Race Party
All athletes and spectators are encouraged to stay at The Forge after the race for a post-race celebration. Food and beverage will be available for purchase at The Foundry and the activities at The Forge will be open.
Due to the time trial start format, all awards will be based on chip / electronic time, including overall awards. As a USAT Sanctioned race and part of the USAT National Gravel Triathlon Series, an athlete’s race age is the age of the athlete on December 31, 2023.
Awards will be the following:
Triathlon:
Cash prizes will be awarded to the 1st - 3rd Overall Males and Females:
Aquabike:
Relay:
Additional awards, prizes and raffles will be offered and announced before the race.
Dave Fako
Race Director
The Forge: Lemont Quarries
708-705-6791
