About the Race
The Chain of Lakes Triathlon is the perfect triathlon to get your season going. Held during the first week of May, it's a great way to get your body out of winter hibernation and back into racing shape. Proceeds raised from the event are used to help fund local recreational organizations.
Going for eight years strong, the Chain of Lakes is administered professional by Pickle Events and coordinated locally by a professional team of volunteers through the Alexandria Swim Club, whose goal is to provide you with an enjoyable triathlon experience. Rest assurred that you'll be treated right.
The race will be timed by Pickle Events using Championchip Technology.
Location
The race begins at the Alexandria Discovery Middle School, which is located at 510 North McKay Avenue.
- From I-94:
- North on Highway 29. East on 3rd Avenue. North on McKay.
- From Highway 29 (Parkers Prairie):
- South on McKay Avenue.
Race Course
The race course is a short course and is an ideal way to start the season.
- Swim
- 600 yard swim in 8 lane, 25 yard pool. Individuals will be placed in heats according to their estimated swim time. There will be 2-4 people in each lane. Please bring a person to count your laps, if possible.
- Bike
- The bike course will be 13 miles through the Alexandria area countryside along rolling hills, with 3 miles on the Central Lakes Bike Trail. All cyclists must observe MN traffic laws. Certified hard-shelled bike helmets are required. No listening devices are allowed on the bike course. Drafting is prohibited. See course map.
- Run
- The run course will be 2.8 miles through a residential area and newly paved trail. See course map. Listening devices are strongly discouraged on the run course.
Schedule of Events
This year, the race will be held on Saturday, May 2nd.
- 7:00 to 8:00 am
- Check-in and body marking
- 8:30 am
- Mandatory pre-race meeting
- 9:00 am
- Race start
- After last finisher
- Awards ceremony. Results will be posted on this site.
Lodging
Visit the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce for a list of hotels and resorts available in the area. They may also be reached toll-free at 1-800-235-9441.
Event Proceeds
Proceeds raised from this event will go toward local fundraising efforts including the Alexandria Swim Club and Lakes Area Recreation Association, whose purpose is to develop and improve the recreation opportunities for the Alexandria area.
In seven years the triathlon has raised over $10,000 which was donated to local organziations such as the Alexandria Swim Club and the Lakes Area Recreation.
Additional Information
This race is the first race in the Tri Minnesota Series. All participants in the race are automatically entered in the series at no additional cost. The complete schedule of the race is as follows:
| Race | Date | City | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain of Lakes Triathlon | May 2 | Alexandria | Website |
| *Land Between the Lakes Triathlon | May 17 | Albert Lea | Website |
| Buffalo Triathlon (Olympic) | June 7 | Buffalo | Website |
| Liberty Triathlon (Long course) | June 13 | Maple Plain | Website |
| Lake Minnetonka Triathlon | June 20 | Excelsior | Website |
| North Mankato Triathlon | June 28 | Mankato | Website |
| Graniteman Triathlon | July 12 | St. Cloud | Website |
| Northwoods Triathlon | August 8 | Nevis | Website |
| *Young Life Triathlon (Olympic) | August 15 | Detroit Lakes | Website |
| Lakes Country Triathlon | August 23 | Baxter | Website |
| * 2009 Tri Minnesota Series bonus races |
|||
Photo Credits
All photos courtesy of C5 Adventure Photography.
Registration and Fees
Registration has closed for 2009! Sorry, no more registration will be accepted.
Maximum Entries: 200
Register Early! Registration has closed early each of the last 6 years because we reached our capacity.
- Individual
- $45 - Prior to 2/1
- $50 - Prior to 4/1
- $60 - On and after 4/1
- Relay
- $60 - Prior to 2/1
- $66 - Prior to 4/1
- $75 - On and after 4/1
There will be no refunds.
Divisions
Participants may compete as an individual or as part of a relay team.
- Individual
- Those that expect to finish the race in less than 1 hour and 12 minutes should check the Elite Heat box on the entry form. Those in the elite heat will compete for age group awards with all individuals.
- Relay
- Two or three person teams may compete in one of the following categories: Local (all team members must live in the Alexandria Area) or Open.
Awards
All triathlon participants attending the awards ceremony, will have an opportunity to win a grand prize drawing of $500 from Erik’s Bike Shop.
Other "freebies"/incentives available for all participants:
- Race t-shirt
- 1 single serving pouch of Hammer Gel
The awards ceremony will take place at the Discovery Middle School immediately after the race.
Awards for the first three places for each sex will be distributed in the following age groups:
- 19 and under
- 20-29
- 30-39
- 40-49
- 50-59
- 60-69
Other awards will be given to the first overall male and female finisher, and the first male and female finisher from the Alexandria area.
The top three teams in each relay division will receive awards as well.
Results
- 2009 Results
- 2008 Results
- 2007 Results Race Photos
- 2006 Results
- 2005 Results
- 2004 Results
- 2003 Results
- 2002 Results
Contact Information
- Race Director
- Brad Pickle
(320) 529-0884 - Alexandria Race Director
- Mark Storhaug
(320) 762-2046 - Lakes Area Recreation
- (320) 762-2868
Sponsors
- Presenting Sponsors
-
- Silver Sponsors
-
Geneva Capital
Ringdahl Architects
Lakes Area Appraisals
Swenson, Lervick, Syverson, Anderson, Trosvig, Jacobson P.A.
Alexandria Orthopedic
Central Lakes Chiropractics
- Bronze Sponsors
-
Budget Building Supply
Johnston Law Office
Backhaus Appraisals
This site and all contents © 2009 Pickle Events, LLC. Pages developed by Jake Krohn.