The Giant Acorn Triathlon Festival features Olympic and Sprint distance races staged out of beautiful Lake Anna State Park. With a sandy beach start, a refreshing (low 70’s) freshwater swim, rolling country roads for the bike and a run course that stays completely within the State Park. The race is amazing for so many reasons, but the best part is the park itself. Banked stadium style seating overlooks the swim start/finish area which includes the finish line and Fairwinds Brewery post race party. Bring the family as the park features miles of trails, a playground, swimming beach and visitors center featuring a “gold mine”. Outside the park you can relax post race at the Lake Anna Winery or the Coyote Hole Cider Works. Be sure to race with friends and make some new ones at the Giant Acorn Triathlon Festival.
On the fence about registering? Watch our race videos from prior years HERE and waver no more. Don’t miss out, sign up below!
Register NowGiant Acorn Olympic
Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 8:00 AM
Triathlon: 1.5K Swim (Lake); 42K Bike (Rolling Hills); 10K Run (Rolling Hills)
Aquabike: 1.5K Swim (Lake); 42K Bike (Rolling Hills)
Giant Acorn Sprint
Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 9:00 AM
Triathlon: 750 Meter Swim (Lake); 15.5 Mile Bike (Rolling Hills); 5K Run (Rolling Hills)
Aquabike: 750 Meter Swim (Lake; 15.5 Mile Bike
Race Information
- You’ll love our swag! All athletes receive a Tri-Blend Race Shirt, Custom Race Socks and a super cool custom Finisher’s Medal. Also, don’t forget the DJ, bounce house for the kids and fabulous post race spread.
- Race categories available for this race are Age Group, Aquabike, Relay Teams, Collegiate (Olympic Only), Clydesdale, Master’s Clydesdale, Athena, Military and Novice. All categories are scored 3 deep.
- All Kinetic Multisports races are USA Triathlon sanctioned events. Click HERE for a brief description of common USAT racing rules and how you can avoid getting a penalty in this event.
- All Kinetic Multisports race registrations are non-refundable. There are however options for race registration insurance and a one time deferral. Visit our FAQ’s for more details.
- Are you new to the sport of triathlon and a bit nervous? Check out our training page so we can get you connected with a coach, club or training group to get you to the finish line.
Wet Suit Rental
- Looking for a wetsuit to rent for this event?
- Our wetsuit rental partner for this event is BONZAI Sports now located in Vienna, Virginia and online. for more information click HERE
Transition Area Rules: Please note that bicycles will not be released from the transition area until the bike cut off time (2 hours from the last wave for the Sprint and 3 hours for the Olympic) or the last runner exits transition. The parking lot exits directly on to the bike and run courses and having 600 cars disgorge onto the courses creates a very unsafe situation for the remaining athletes. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this matter.
Race Policies Location Map Participant list FAQsGiant Acorn International
Date: Friday
Time: 4:00-7:00PM
Location: At the race site
Pre-Race Meeting: 6PM
Race Site Address:
Lake Anna State Park
6800 Lawyers Road
Spotsylvania, VA 22551
Date: Saturday
Time: 6:00-7:30AM
Location: At the race site
Pre-Race Meeting: 7:45am
Note: Participants must collect his/ her own event packets. Photo ID is required in order to collect event materials. NO ID = NO EVENT. Hint if you take a photo of your identification and have it on your phone that will be sufficient for ID purposes. ALL USAT annual members must show a valid USAT membership card or pay the one day membership fee ($15).
Giant Acorn Sprint
Date: Saturday
Time: 4:00-6:00PM
Location: At the race site
Pre-Race Meeting : 5:00PM
Race Site:
Lake Anna State Park
6800 Lawyers Road
Spotsylvania, Virginia 22551
Date: Sunday
Time: 7:00-8:30AM
Location: At the race site
Pre-Race Meeting: 8:45AM
Note: Participants must collect his/ her own event packets. Photo ID is required in order to collect event materials. NO ID = NO EVENT. Hint if you take a photo of your Identification with your phone that will be suficient for ID. ALL USAT annual members must show a valid USAT membership card or pay the one day membership fee ($15).
Camping
Lake Anna State Park: Campsites are available for the weekend. Click HERE.
Christopher Run Campground – 540-894-4744
About 15 minutes from the race site
Hotels
Click HERE for a listing of area hotels.
There are multiple lake houses for rent this time of year.
Lake Anna Realty-800-830-2662
Dockside Realty – 1-800-242-5253
Thank you for making this event your first triathlon! There are many more people like yourself who will be racing this type of event for the first time. Please note that if you register as a Novice, you will be scored in the Novice division, not your Age Group. By registering as a Novice you will start the race in the last wave of athletes if the race is an open water swim.
USA Triathlon requires each triathlete to either have a current membership or purchase a 1-day license. The 1-day license can be purchased when you register. The cost of a 1-day license is $15, an annul membership is $50 for adults and $10 for kids under 18.
Below are links to additional information that you will want to review before race weekend.
Endorphin Fitness
Endorphin Fitness is the most successful coaching organization in Virginia from beginner to elite and youth to adult.Visit www.endorphinfitness.com to learn about Endorphin Fitness Group Coaching, Personal Coaching, Expert Bike Fitting, Performance Testing, and Technique Video Analysis.
Are you looking for a Training Plan for this race? If so check out these Training Plans from our friends at Endorphin Fitness! If desiring more personalized coaching, contact Endorphin Fitness directly at coaching@endorphinfitness.com or by calling 804.741.1599
Tri Training Plan (Beginner)
Beginner 8-week training plan to prepare for the 2018 Giant Acorn Triathlon. Developed by the 2012 USA Triathlon Coach of The Year Michael Harlow from Endorphin Fitness. Detailed workouts laying out exactly what you need to do to get to the finish line.
Cost is $55 for 8-week plan. Click HERE to purchase the Beginner plan!
Tri Training Plan (Intermediate)
Intermediate 8-week training plan to prepare for the 2018 Giant Acorn Triathlon. Developed by the 2012 USA Triathlon Coach of The Year Michael Harlow from Endorphin Fitness. Detailed workouts laying out exactly what you need to do to get to the finish line.
Cost is $55 for 8-week plan. Click HERE to purchase the Intermediate plan
Open Water Swim Clinic
Looking for an edge in the water? Already a good swimmer but would like to get an advantage in the open water swim portions of a triathlon?
Peluso Open Water clinics are back! In these clinics you will learn and practice all aspect of open water swimming. Peluso Open Water Clinics expert coaches have helped hundreds of athletes, from beginners to experienced pool swimmers, to become more comfortable and efficient in the open water. This one hour clinic will be held at 5PM on Friday, July 20th at Buckroe Beach.
This clinic is only $20 and you can register and find more information HERE
Training Articles
- Guide To Your First Triathlon – Michael Harlow of Endorphin Fitness
- Intro to Triathlon – Kyle Pawlazyk of Endorphin Fitness
- A Proper Warm Up – Michael Harlow of Endorphin Fitness
- How Fast Can You Go – Michael Harlow of Endorphin Fitness
- Shoelaces – Camille Ronesi of Endorphin Fitness
- Goal Setting – Michael Harlow of Endorphin Fitness
- Short Sleeve Tri Suits – Kyle Pawlaczyk of Endorphin Fitness
- What Kids Need From Sports – Michael Harlow of Endorphine Fitness
- Strength Training and the Endurance Athlete – Camille Ronesi of Endorphin Fitness
- Power Meter – Kyle Pawlaczyk of Endorphin Fitness
- Hamstring Stretches – Camille Ronesi of Endorphin Fitness
- Fishing for Breakthroughs – Michael Harlow of Endorphin Fitness
- Failure Is Not An Option – Camille Ronesi of Endorphin Fitness
- Winter Training – Team Z
- Swim Training – Doug Marocco of PowerBar Team Elite
- Off Season Top 10 List – Alysia Kern Lovgren of Catalyst 3 Coaching
Find a Club: Are you looking for a fun group of athletes to work out with? Find a club near you using the USAT Club Finder.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of any successful event.
If you would like to volunteer for this race just fill out the form below and we will put you to work!
Affiliated Charities
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families. Please consider making a donation during the registration process. You can also make a donation via their website by clicking HERE.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a watershed protection agency that fights to keep the water we swim in clean. Please consider making a donation to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation during the registration process.