Aug. 1, 2021 Gear West Tri: Olympic / Half / Team / Aquathon!

Jan Guenther

Gear West Tri: Half, Olympic, Team, and Aquathon! Click on images to enlarge,

The August 1, 2021, Gear West Half & Olympic Triathlon, located just 30 miles west of downtown Minneapolis, starts at Lake Rebecca Park Reserve. Rebecca Park, part of the Three Rivers Park District, provides a beautiful backdrop for a great day of racing and spectating. We Welcome all abilities , sizes, & All everybody to join us! Although please note cut-off times for your safety and our volunteers. Team participation provides a great way to introduce yourself to triathlon, if you are new to the sport or desire to get back in shape!

Join us –  because you can and to have fun!

Start Times: Long: 7:30am / Olympic: 8:00am. / Rise and shine race day at 5:45am

Long Triathlon: 1.2mi Swim – 42*mi Bike – 13.1 mi Run. (*This year only, the half marathon bike course is shortened due to never-ending construction.)

Olympic Triathlon: .75mi Swim – 25mi Bike – 6.2mi Run

TEAMS for Olympic & Long Triathlons: Three-member teams are encouraged!

NEW! Aqua Bike: .75mi Swim – 25mi Bike and then you are DONE !

Gear West Triathlon! C’mon – Get Happy!

Max Participants: 250 in Long + Team and 250 in Short + Team

Wave Start Procedure: The field will start in waves of 25, both in Elite and in the Ordinary Joe/Jill waves. Waves times will be assigned in order of race entries received (Elite wave will close after 25 entrants).

Packet Pick-Up Schedule: Gear West 1786 Wayzata Blvd. Long Lake, MN 55356. (Have a stop & shop, too!)

⇒ Thursday, July 29th – 4:00-7:30 pm

⇒ Friday, July 30th - 12-5:30

⇒ Saturday, July 31st – 12:00-3:00pm

⇒  Sunday, Aug 1st Packet Pick-Up from 6:00-7:00 am for out-of-town participants only

Cancellations: Race fees are nonrefundable. Upon sickness or breaking a leg, participants may receive either: 1) 1/2 cost of entry to next year’s race or 2) 100% refund in the form of a GW gift certificate (Yes!)

Switching Distances: You may change your event distance up to one week before race day by contacting [email protected]. There is a $5 switching fee along with any event price differences. There will be no event switches on race day.

After-Party Barbecue and Five-Year Age Awards! Stay for the awards! Love the music, replenish your carbs, and enjoy our sponsors’ giveaways. Gear West Tri  — more than just your workout; it’s a place to share stories, relax after your accomplishments, and build friendships.

A little bit more information: 

⇒ The event location and transition area are on an open grassy knoll next to the parking lots of Lake Rebecca Regional Park.

⇒ The swim event starts down the hill from the transition area. The swim is a rectangular course. Wetsuits will be allowed (and encouraged). Participants will swim in a clockwise direction around a rectangular-shaped swim course keeping all buoys to their right. Buoys will mark the course and there will be a lead kayak as well as boat and lifeguard support along the way. All participants will receive an official Gear West Triathlon swim cap which must be worn during the swim portion of the event. Participants will exit the water and traverse a short grassy stretch to the transition area where they mount their bikes.

⇒ The journey from swim to the bike transition is about 150 yards. You warm-up for the bike by navigating a set of stairs and will run past our colorful announcer, Jerry McNeil.

⇒ The bike course is the best part of the race even if the course had to be changed this year due to construction. You leave the park, bike through Delano, and head south on 17. All racers take a RIGHT (west) turn on CR6 (CR20), enter into the Watertown roundabouts, and then head back towards Delano on County Rd 16, which parallels the Crow River. The bike course takes a right on County Rd 30, rides the shoulder of HWy12, and takes a right again into an industrial park (a small loop) that takes the biker back onto 1) County Rd 17 for loop TWO in the long race OR 2) north and back to Rebecca Park. ** The 42K course is TWO loops + a tail / the 25K course is ONE loop + a tail.

⇒ The run is an out and back around near Lake Rebecca, on a beautiful, rather shady rolling run course. Water stops will be at every mile with water, nutrition drinks, and other tasty offerings. The Olympic turns around a 3.1-mile mark and the long course turns around at the 6.55-mile mark.

History: Liberty Triathlon started its tenure at Lake Independence at Baker Park, in 2004. Due to many construction constraints, the race moved to Lake Rebecca in 2013. After 2018, Final Stretch chose not to pursue running this event, so Gear West is taking it over. We thank Final Stretch for all the races they have organized. We hope to offer the same Liberty Bike course next year.

Race Awards & Finisher Medals: Liberty Triathlon finishers in both the Long and Olympic course will receive cotton finisher t-shirts! Awards are offered for the top three male and female runners in each FIVE-year age category. The top 3 overall male and female athletes and the top 2 relay teams will also receive awards.

The Olympic award ceremony will begin at 12:00 Noon and the Half Iron award ceremony will begin at 2:00 pm. Elite wave athletes are only eligible for the overall awards.

Let Gear West take care of your triathlon needs!

Sunday Schedule:

5:45 am – Transition area and body marking opens

7:10 am – Body marking closes

7:15 am – Mandatory pre-race meeting

7:20 am – Transition Area closes

7:30 am – Long course starts: Waves go off every 3 minutes

8:30 am – Olympic course starts: Waves go off every 3 minutes (We may wait a few minutes to ensure all long course swimmers have passed the Olympic swim turn.)

11:45 pm – Long course bike cut off (any athlete who has not entered transition by this time will not be permitted to continue onto the run course).

12:15 pm – Olympic course award ceremony/music/ barbecue

2:00 pm – Long course award ceremony/music/barbecue/raffle