Join the Warsaw Optimist Sprint Triathlon: A Thrilling Community Event

Get ready to push your limits and make a difference at the Warsaw Optimist Sprint Triathlon! This exciting event, held annually on the last Saturday of June at the picturesque Winona Lake Park, offers a unique opportunity to challenge yourself and support a worthy cause.

Why You Should Participate:

• Diverse Divisions: Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or a beginner, there’s a division for you. Choose from Adult (Age Group), Clydesdale, Athena, Adult Relay, Duathlon, Physically Challenged, or Youth categories.
• Supportive Atmosphere: Benefit from the guidance of over 100 experienced volunteers who are dedicated to making your race experience unforgettable.
• Rewarding Finish: Cross the finish line to a well-deserved celebration and indulge in the best post-race refreshments around.
• Community Impact: By participating, you’re directly contributing to the Warsaw Optimist Club’s mission of empowering youth through various outreach programs.

Don’t Miss Out!

Sign up now and be part of this incredible event.
Register here and learn more about the race details.

Race Information

DETAILS:

While we’re all about the thrill of competition in our Adult Sprint race, we’re also committed to fostering the next generation of triathletes!

That’s why we’ve expanded our event to include:

• Youth Races: Young athletes can experience the excitement of triathlon on a shorter course, right after the adults.
• USAT-Sanctioned Duathlon and Aqua Bike: For those who prefer a two-sport challenge, we offer options to suit your style.

Join us for a weekend of fun, fitness, and friendly competition!

LOCATION:

Discover Warsaw and Winona Lake, your perfect escape in north-central Indiana!

Just a short drive away:

• 40 minutes southeast of South Bend
• 40 miles west of Fort Wayne
• 2 hours from Indianapolis and Chicago

Immerse yourself in the beauty of Winona Lake Park, located at 1590 Park Ave.

RACE DAY PARKING:

Race Day Parking:

• Opens at 5:30 AM
• Roads close at 7:00 AM (all athletes must be present)
• Spectators leaving before 11:00 AM should coordinate with parking staff

Please follow parking signs and marshal instructions upon arrival.

REGISTRATION:

Ready to race? Sign up as an individual or form a relay team of 2 or 3.

Your registration fee includes:

• Event t-shirt
• Swim cap
• Chip timing
• Free parking
• Awards (overall and age group)
• Post-race refreshments

NO RACE DAY REGISTRATIONS.

T-shirt not guaranteed after June 7

Registration Deadline:

• Last Wednesday before the race at midnight
• Or when 500 spots fill up (whichever comes first)

Please note:

No refunds: Once registered, no refunds will be issued.

No transfers or deferrals: Entries are non-transferable and non-deferrable.

USAT AGE DIVISION:

Age Requirements and Divisions:

• Minimum Age: You must be 15 years old on or before December 31, 2021, to participate in adult age group divisions. This applies to both individual and team entries.
• Age Group Determination: Your age group will be determined based on your age on December 31, Previous Year not your age on race day.

Age Group Divisions: 15-17 | 18-19 | 20-24 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 35-39 40-44 | 45-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60-64 | 65-69 70-74 | 75-79 | 80-84 | 85+

RACE COURSE CHARACTERISTICS:

ADULT AGE GROUP

DUATHLON GROUP

ADULT – Run – Bike – Run

YOUTH AGE GROUP

Youth Wave: Our youngest athletes will race on a shorter course, experiencing the thrill of the triathlon! All youth finishers will receive a medal. This will be the last wave of the race, after the adult racers have cleared the swim course

Youth 11-12 Age Group

Youth 13-14 Age Group

Relay Teams:

Relay Teams:

Packet Pickup: All team members must present photo ID and sign USAT release forms at packet pickup.
EVERY TEAM MEMBER IS REQUIRED TO SHOW PHOTO ID AND SIGN USAT RELEASE FORMS AT PACKET PICKUP.

Team Size: 2 or 3 athletes

Leg Assignments: Typically, one swimmer, one cyclist, and one runner. However, a two-person team can divide the legs as they prefer.

Age Requirement: All team members must be 15 years old on race day.

Chip Timed Race

All Athletes MUST wear an assigned timing chip. You will be responsible for returning your timing chip at the finish line or pay a $30 replacement fee. Teams are only assigned one timing chip (same as Bib Number) and must transfer that chip to succeeding members of the team while at the bike rack in the transition area.

Packet Pick-Up

Friday Night before the race from 5pm-8pm

Saturday, Day of the race from 6am-7:30am

Community Center (Senior Center) in Winona Lake Park 1598 Park Ave, Winona Lake, IN 46590

We strongly encourage Athletes to come to packet pick-up on Friday to see the race layout. Government issued Photo ID and USAT card (or one day insurance is) required at packet pick-up. Everyone is required to pick up his or her own number and show ID/USAT card.

YOUTH Athletes (ages 11/17) must be accompanied at Packet Pick-up by a parent or legal guardian and present

1. Race officials reserve the right to require proof of age from each Athlete in the form of a birth certificate or other official proof of age document.  Failure to produce a proof of age document may result in disqualification from the event.

NOTE: All timing chip straps will be handed out on Saturday morning.

PRE-RACE CLINIC AVAILABLE

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BIKE CHECK AND MINOR REPAIR

Trailhouse Village Bicycles will be on site to make minor bike repairs and check for and provide bar-end plugs if needed. Race Day morning. Have your bike in racing condition when you arrive. HELMETS ARE MANDATORY, with chinstraps snapped while riding your bike. The helmet must be fastened before the Athlete first mounts the bicycle, at all times when the Athlete is on the bicycle, and must not be unfastened until the Athlete has dismounted. You must bring your own water bottle for the bike portion of the race.

USAT Referees and Penalty

USAT Referees will be present for pre-race instructions regarding penalties and disqualification rules. Referees will enforce the USAT helmet rules prior to, and during the race. An Athlete must reduce cycling speed to an acceptable and safe level when exiting and entering the transition area. Failure to do so shall result in a variable time penalty.

Limited Access to the Transition Area

The transition area will be guarded. Only Athletes will be allowed to be in the ADULT transition area, and will be the only one allowed to pickup a bike and racing equipment. Your body ID must match up with your bike ID number. A separate area will be provided for Youth Athletes.  One parent or designee may accompany the Youth into transition to help set up but when transition closes for competition to begin only Athletes and race officials may enter transition.

Insurance Coverage

Your personal insurance will be the primary carrier. USAT will be a secondary supplemental insurance carrier. The USAT yearly or day membership fee covers the cost of the USAT supplemental insurance coverage for the Athlete during the event.

Award Ceremony:

Awards are scheduled for 11am in front of the Community Center. Don’t miss out on claiming your award! If you cannot attend the Awards Ceremony, you can pick up your award between 10:30am and 11am. Unclaimed awards will be held for 30 days and then donated to a local charity.

ADULTS – Awards will be presented to the Top 3 female and male Premier, Age Group Athletes by USAT age groups, Clydesdale, Athena, and PC. Relay team awards will be given. Not claimed race T-shirts, local sponsor merchandise and general prizes will be distributed at the award ceremony. Please note that Athletes that do not race in their age group (and are not signed up to race in the premier division) are not eligible for age group awards. YOUTH and KAYAK division Athletes will receive finisher medals since they are participatory events.

ATHLETE FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS

Athlete post-race food area is open from 10AM to 11:30am. The athlete post-race food area is for athletes only and your athlete wristband, bib or body marking provides you access.

EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY

If Natural Disaster, Foul Weather or Community Disaster occurs, our action steps are as follows:

1. Optimist Triathlon Management in concert with local officials will make decisions based on safety first.
2. Courses and/or race segments will be altered as agreed to between Optimist Triathlon Management and local officials
3. Financial: It is not financially feasible for Optimist Triathlon Management to accept the risk of a disaster for everyone. Each registered Athlete needs to accept the risk of his or her entry fee. There will be NO REFUNDS or free entries to future races. The money you paid was spent developing the subject event.
4. The Optimist Club that sponsors the race does not save any money if one of our events has to be canceled for reasons beyond our control. All supplies and services needed for the events are purchased and/or arranged in advance. All event supplies and services associated with that event must be paid for, regardless of the outcome. Entries may NOT be transferred, or exchanged, or deferred. The Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club is a 501c3 charity and all proceeds from this event are donated to charity.

Personal Safety

The swim course utilizes a body of water that is open to the general public for swimming, boating and other recreational and commercial activities. The Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club wishes to caution all Athletes that it does not provide lifeguard services PRIOR to the event, and that all Athletes who swim prior to race day will do so at their own risk. Athletes may swim in the designated swim areas of Winona Lake Park during the Park hours prior to the race. While we make reasonable efforts to inspect the swim entry and exit points for underwater hazards, the inspection does not take place until just before the swim discipline starts. Athletes are further admonished to exercise caution and to be mindful of underwater hazards. Keep in mind that this is a natural body of water and is subject to hidden hazards including, but not limited to: currents, underwater obstructions, tides, rip currents and indigenous marine life.

When training, please bike and run on the shoulder without moving into the traffic lane. Please be courteous and aware that the people sharing the roads with you are people you will count on during race day to fulfill your physical and emotional needs. Please ride single file. As you are one of Winona Lake’s invited guests, please respect and obey the traffic laws during your training practices. Violators will be cited. You are required to carry proper identification at all times. If you are stopped, you must present your identification to the inquiring officer. Failure to do so may result in race disqualification. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Race Results / Penalties Posted

Race results will be posted ASAP at the race, and on active.com. Race Penalties will also be posted immediately after the race. For those Athletes that elect to not race in their age group, we will only record your times for our event, but the timing official will be instructed to NOT REPORT your results to USAT for rankings. Athletes that elect to compete in the Kayak/Bike /Run option the timing official will be instructed to NOT REPORT your results to USAT for rankings.

Winona Lake Area Attractions

Things to See and Do

• Kosciusko County Visitor’s Bureau Events
• The Village at Winona
• Wagon Wheel Theatre

The award-winning Wagon Wheel Theatre, one of Indiana’s oldest theatres, is well known for professional theatrical productions and concerts.

Questions? Contact the Administrators

Contact Information: triathlon@warsawoptimist.org