On the Horizon: The Chicago LifeTime Triathlon

If you're like me, you wish summer could last forever. Unfortunately, September is just around the corner. Before we know it, the signs that summer is over will start appearing.

The days will get shorter, the air will take on a slight chill at night, back-to-school advertisements will assault our senses, and triathletes from all over the world will descend upon Chicago for what's billed as the world's largest triathlon.

The end of August brings The LifeTime Chicago Triathlon, an event that attracts thousands of novices, amateurs, and professional triathletes.

Earlier:

What's so special about Chicago?

Well, the sheer size, for one thing. The open field is capped at 8,500. That's a lot of wetsuit-clad, hyper-fit bodies milling about on the Chicago lakefront.

The course is flat, spectator friendly, and scenic, wedged between Lake Michigan and the fabulous Chicago skyline. What's more, the race offers a professional division, which attracts some big names in the sport, such as Matty Reed and Sarah Haskins, both of whom competed here last year and are expected to return for 2011.

But it's not just about the pros. Anyone can sign up for Chicago. Two distances are offered: the manageable Sprint distance (.47 mile swim, 13.64 mile bike, 3.1 mile run) and the longer International (Olympic) distance (.93 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). What's that you say? You don't have a road bike? That's OK, any bike will do.

In fact, there's a Mountain Bike division for the Sprint race. Hate swimming? No problem. The International distance has a relay option, so you don’t even have to get your feet wet. There's something for everyone.

And yet, I'm not doing Chicago Triathlon this year. Why? Because I think I'm still sleep deprived from last year.

An event of that size requires a lot of logistical organizing, and managing 8,500 type-A personalities isn't easy. One of the keys to keeping everyone on track is an early morning Transition set-up.

For those who've never done a triathlon, Transition (as the name suggests) is where athletes transition from one activity to the next. Transition is a place for participants to store all the equipment that will be needed for the biking and running portions of the triathlon: bike, helmet, shoes, sunglasses, and so on.

Some races, like the Galena Triathlon, offer Transition set-up the night before, an option I find appealing. I can get all my stuff organized, then go out to dinner and sleep until a reasonable hour the next morning. Chicago, however, does not offer set-up the night before. Rather, it's basically in the middle of the night, with Transition opening at 4:15 a.m. Last year, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to get there on time, and when I arrived, there were already thousands of people ahead of me. Getting my stuff organized and laid out was challenging, not because of the 8,000-plus other people around me, but because it was pitch black. Never have I been so jealous of someone wearing a headlamp.

With a race the size of Chicago, you don't want to arrive late to Transition set up. When I got there at 4:30 a.m., open bike racks were already hard to find. What's more, everyone had to be out of Transition by 5:45 a.m. Latecomers had no time to set out their equipment. Really latecomers weren't allowed into Transition at all, which meant no race for them that day.

So what do athletes do once Transition is closes 5:45 a.m.?

Wait. Then wait some more. The race starts in waves of 150 people each, and given the number of participants, it can take a while to get everyone into the water. In my case, I had several hours to kill. Fortunately, a gear check is offered at the swim start, so I was able to keep my phone and glasses with me. Although I was still not happy about having to get up so early, there was something rather enjoyable about watching the sun come up over Lake Michigan while cheering on the athletes in earlier waves.

The race itself is an interesting and fun course. The swim is along the lakefront in Monroe Harbor, the bike is on Lake Shore Drive, and the run is along the Lakefront Path. And to top it all off, after the amateurs finish, the pros start. Watching them is mesmerizing. They make it look easy.

So, in the end, is it a race worth getting up for?

Yes, definitely. But this year I'm doing the World Bicycle Relief Wrigley Field Road Tour, a bike ride from Chicago to Milwaukee, the day before.

So come 4:15 a.m. on Sunday August 28, I plan to be sound asleep in my bed, instead of standing in the dark with thousands of other people trying to find a spot for my bike. However, I'll wake up in time to see the professionals race, because being a spectator offers almost all of the fun, but with a bit more time to snooze. 

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