Event Description
Triathlon based at the beautiful Lake Rebecca Park Reserve in Rockford, MN.
Lake Rebecca Park Reserve is 24 miles west of the Hwy 55 and I-494 intersection along Hwy 55.
It is a beautiful place for a swim in Lake Rebecca, bike south and back, and run around the park trails.
Race Start Time: 8:00am
Long course: 1200 yard swim - 23 mi bike - 10k run
Short Course: 600 yard swim - 14 mi bike - 5k run
Aqua Bike: 1200 yard swim - 23 mi bike
Long Course Relay (2 or 3 member teams)
Course Information:
The Long Course starts with a 1200yd swim in Lake Rebecca, a 23 mi bike ride that goes south down CR17/CR50, makes a clockwise loop around CR6, CR92, and CR26, then returns north to the park, finishing with a 10k run along the east and south sides of Lake Rebecca paved trail and back to the Beachside picnic area.
The Short Course starts with a 600yd swim in Lake Rebecca, a 14 mi bike down and back (7 mi each direction) along CR17/CR15, finishing with a 5k run along the east side of Lake Rebecca paved trail and back to the Beachside picnic area.
There will be an aid station at the turn around at the turnaround point on both runs.
Run Short Course: aid station at 1.75 mile mark.
Run Long Course: aid stations at 1.75, 3.3, and 4.8 mile marks.
Aid stations will have water and Gatorade.
The Aqua Bike course is the same as the Long Course, finishing at T2 at the end of your bike.
The Long Course relay involves 2 or 3 participants completing the Long Course, each participating in swimming, biking, or running, in any combination.
Triathlon Clubs
What are they all about?
Many Triathletes ask:
• Are there other triathletes I can join for training?
• Where can I safely practice open water swim?
• Who can help me learn more and improve?
• Are there any Triathlon social events?
Triathlon Clubs offer great benefits to Triathletes. Some of the more common include participating in group training/workouts, education from experienced triathletes, social outings, seminars, clinics, someone to show you the ropes, new friends and training partners, support during training and on race day, along with other resources such as training plans, coaches, equipment discounts and priceless fun.
What does this mean for Tri Clubs?
Tri West is going to showcase the Minnesota Tri Club scene at the 2023 event, along with the opportunities they have to offer. There are a multitude of different clubs to choose. They range from elaborate coaching, training, and destination races to individuals who are tired of training countless hours on their own, others looking for mentoring, and social activities.
Come join us and see what a Tri Team is all about. Or better yet, join a current club and jump into the fun of meeting other Triathletes. Contact Tri West for a list of Tri Clubs.
How do Clubs Participate in Tri West?
Tri Clubs will receive discounts on your race entry, a summary article of your Club in Minnesota Tri News, Team priority transition areas just for you, a place to setup your Team Tent, recognition and a talk about your Club on race day by the race announcers, and of course Club scoring to determine awards including the overall Championship Team.
Tri West Tri is also excited to host the Tri Club Championship. Club athletes will receive points based upon their divisional finishing place. All divisions, Elite and Age Group qualify for points. As an example, first place elite and first place in any age group division will receive the same number of points. Points will be earned for first to tenth place in each division. Tri Team athletes’ points will be applied to their Tri Club with the top five athletes will determine the total points for the Team. Awards will be provided to the top five Tri Clubs including an overall Championship.
Race Awards & Finisher Medals:
Overall awards will be presented to the first three men and women finishers for the long and short course. Awards will also be presented to the first-place master and grand master men and women for both courses. The first three relay teams will receive awards, as well as the first three age group winner’s men and women for both courses. If you register and participate in the Elite Wave Long or Short Course, you only qualify for overall awards. All other participants are eligible for overall master, grand master and age group awards. You can qualify for only one award based upon the guidelines above. You must be present, or can designate another person, to receive your award at the award’s ceremony. The following male and female categories will be awarded:
· Youth TBD
· 15 - 19
· 20 – 24
· 25 – 29
· 30 – 34
· 35 – 39
· 40 – 44
· 45 – 49
· 50 – 54
· 55 – 59
· 60 – 64
· 65 – 69
· 70 – 74
· 75 – 79
· 80 & more mature
Sunday Schedule:
6:00 am - Packet Pickup Opens
6:00 am - Transition area and body marking opens to participants
7:15 am - Water open for swim warm up
7:30 am - Body marking closes
7:40 am - Mandatory pre-race meeting /Transition Area closes
7:50 am - National Anthem
8:00 am - Olympic swim starts / Relay and Sprint course to follow
10:30 Sprint Awards /11:30 Olympic awards ceremony
Packet Pick-up:
Friday, July 21st: 2-5:45pm @ Gear West (1786 Wayzata Blvd. Long Lake, MN 55356)
Saturday, July 22nd: TBD
Sunday, July 23rd: 6:00 -7:30 on site
Gear West mechanics will be on site for basic help with your bike.
At packet pickup, all participants will receive tri-blend event shirt, their custom event bib, an event reusable bag, and any goodies our event sponsors put in bags.
In addition to picking up your bag, either ahead of time or the morning of on-site, you will need to pick up your race chip and get your body marked with your number.
Tri-West Triathlon Race Clinic and Open Water Swim, Monday 7/17 6:00 PM
Address: Three Rivers Park, 9831 Rebecca Park Trail, Rockford, MN 55373
Join the Gear West crew, led by long time triathletes Mary Deeg and Jeff Gilmer, for a Triathlon Clinic including a review of the Tri-West Triathlon. Held at Lake Rebecca Three Rivers Park, experienced triathletes will share their skills for swimming, biking, running, transitions as well as specific tips on the Tri-West course. We will review these at the race site to help you get knowledgeable insights on the swim, review of the bike and run course along with key tips for race day. Race with confidence and reach new goals!
We will review the swim start, course and finish at the beach and lake. We will walk through transition, review the bike and then walk the first part of the run course, discussing how to approach each section. The Gear West Triathlon Clinics are a fantastic way to introduce and improve your race day skills. They are geared towards beginners, intermediates or experienced athletes wanting to learn and get a detailed review the race site.
Open Water Swim, Run course and more
After the clinic you will have an option to swim in the beach zone or head out on your own or with others for an open water swim. We will also go for a short run on the course to get a feel for the hills, enjoy the shade, and a firsthand approach prior to race day.
Details:
Meet near the Pavilion by the Beach
6:00 PM – Clinic Start
7:00 PM - Open Water Swim options and run course review
History
Three Rivers Park has supported Triathlon events for many years. The initial event was the Liberty Triathlon hosted at Baker Park in Independence, MN. The race continued at Baker until 2014, when road construction forced the event to find a temporary venue. Three Rivers supported the use of Lake Rebecca Park. The race was a big success, and following the event a survey was sent to the participants of which a significant majority voted to keep the race at the new Lake Rebecca venue.
Liberty Triathlon was a popular event for almost a decade. It was suspended by the race management organization and then COVID arrived. After a couple seasons without the race, Gear West, one of the largest multisport retailers in the country revived the Triathlon at Lake Rebecca. Now named Tri West, it is entering its third year. Gear West continues to be the primary sponsor of Tri West and has partnered with the race management organization Running Tangents. Mike Combs, owner of Running Tangents, is committed to continue this great event along with the support of Gear West and Three Rivers Park at Lake Rebecca.
Why has Lake Rebecca been such a great place to race? There are many reasons; a clear, clean non-motorboat lake, low traffic county roads with wide shoulders, a beautiful run in the shade of mature trees, parking close to transition and lots of room to roam for spectators and families.
We look forward to seeing you at a future Tri West event!
Previous Results:
2022 Tri West Results
2021 Gear West Triathlon
2018 and previous years Liberty Triathlon Results
Refund Policy: Planning triathlons requires planning and spending ahead of time, therefore we cannot provide refunds for registrations. All sales are final.
However, we do understand that injuries and emergencies come up. If you inform us by Sun, July 9th, you will receive a coupon for 100% off a future Running Tangents Event. If you inform us by Sun, July 16th, you will receive 50% off a future Running Tangents event.
