The Des Moines Triathlon

Packet Pickup

Parking

All race day parking for athletes and spectators is location at Bell Ave Business center located at 1901 Bell Ave click here for directions. This will provide plenty of parking for everyone and is just a short walk on the trail to the Transition area.

Transition Area

Transition Area | Opens at 5:45 AM | Closes at 7:00AM

The transition area will be located near the Southeast parking area. It will be enclosed with fencing and/or barricades. For the protection of you and your equipment, only participants are allowed into the transition area.

The transition will open at 5:45 am on race morning and closes at 7:00 am. Pre-race meeting starts at the beach at 7:15 am and is a 0.50 mile walk, don’t be late!

Bike rack positions will be numbered. Please rack your bike by the saddle on the number that corresponds to your running bib with your bike number visible under the saddle. Your front wheel should be on the same side of the rack as your bike rack sticker. For safety reasons, riding bikes in the transition area is not allowed.

During the event, the transition will remain closed to everyone except athletes who are still in the process of racing. No one, including athletes who have already completed their event, will be allowed into the transition area until it is reopened. The transition will remain closed while bikes are on the course.

Swim Course

Swim Start | 7:30 AM | Time-Trial Start

We will be using a Time Trial format which means 3 people will enter the water every 3-5 seconds. Your starting position is based on your swim experience and confidence level. More confident swimmers should self-seed towards the front and less confident or less experienced swimmers towards the back.

All Olympic Distance events (1500m swim events) will start first at 7:30 am. Sprint Distance events will start shortly after

Swim Warm-up: is from 6:50 am to 7:10 am and is only allowed at the beach and within the parks swim buoy boundary. This is a rule of the park and must be followed. It is not ok to swim across the lake before the race starts.

Water Temps and Wetsuits: Most Iowa lakes in August are pretty warm and while not impossible it is unlikely wetsuits will be allowed.

Here are the wetsuit guidelines:

78.0°F or lower: Wetsuits are fully allowed; you are eligible for all awards and rank points.
78.1°F to 83.9°F: Wetsuits are allowed, but you cannot win awards or earn point for Iowa Tri Series
84.0°F or higher: Wetsuits are strictly prohibited due to heat safety.

Water Quality: Water quality is monitored by the Iowa DNR. All EColi test results for Gray’s Lake can be found on the DNR website by clicking HERE.

Water Safety:

Athletes can hold on to a kayak or SUP to rest as needed
Lifeguards will be present on boats, kayaks, SUPs and near entry exit points
Des Moines Fire Dept will be on site with rescue boats
Ambulance will also be on site

Sprint Swim Course (750m)

Olympic Swim Course (1500m)

Bike Course

Triathlon/Duathlon (Sprint 12 Miles – Olympic 24.8mi)

The 12 mile bike course will utilize the Meredith to Bill Riley trail as you travel west on the South Side of Gray’s lake on your way to Waterworks Park. At SW 30th St you will turn North and go to George Flagg Pkwy where you will turn left to and travel West to the Waterworks Park Entrance. Once inside the park, follow the course for the number of laps for your event. (Sprint – 1 lap, Olympic- 3 laps) Once you have completed your laps inside the park you will exit the park at the same location you entered and follow the same path back to transition. The red path in the image above is the “loop”. The yellow path is just done once by participants to get to and from the “loop”.

Remember to ride right and always pass with care, taking note of your surroundings and other traffic before doing so.

All bikers must wear an ANSI approved or equivalent helmet and USA Triathlon rules will be strictly enforced. Bikers without helmets will not be allowed on the course. Helmets need to be on and buckled before removing your bike from the rack and must not be removed until your bike has been put back on the rack. No drafting allowed; officials will patrol the entire course.

AQUABIKE: Your time stops when you enter the transition after the bike. You can optionally walk/jog/run through the finish line for the experience but you don’t have to.

The bike course begins in Gray’s Lake Park, passes under Fleur Drive, and heads into Water Works Park, featuring fast loops on closed roads.

Helmets must be worn at all times while on the bike
This is a NO-DRAFTING race – we follow standard USAT Rules
Ride to the right, pass on the left
Be alert: some sections will have two-way bike traffic

Run Course

Run Course – Sprint 1 lap, Olympic 2 laps

The run uses beautiful Gray’s Lake Park, and the tree lined arboretum of Waterworks Park. The route travels around Gray’s Lake then through the tunnel under Fleur Drive to Waterworks park where you will run through the arboretum and around the fountain at the North end before heading back South through the Arboretum and back under Fleur Drive to Gray’s Lake and along the South side of the lake traveling across the scenic bridge and on to the finish line.

The course loops around the lake and Waterworks park
One water station is located just past the 1-mile marker
You’ll pass the same water station again just after the 2-mile marker

Duathlon

The Duathlon will do a 1 mile out and back route across the pedestrian bridge for the first run of the duathlon. The second run of the duathlon will follow the 5k Run Course used by the triathlons