Kinetic Multisports

Premier Triathlons on the east coast, offering exceptional quality and value

Giant Acorn Triathlon Festival

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!

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Giant 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)
Course Details

Swim Course: The 1.5K swim begins on the beach at Lake Anna State Park. The rectangular shaped course will have 2 right turns and sighting buoys will be located approximately every 75 meters. We expect the water at this time of year and at this section of the lake to be in the low 70’s. A temperature reading will be taken and posted the Thursday prior to the event. The water temperature at this location has averaged in the low 70’s which is pretty nice for October!

Bike Course: The Giant Acorn Olympic bike course is a lollypop course that is 24.6 miles long. With a left turn out of the park athletes have great pavement and traverse much of the first part of the Kinetic Half bike course. The pavement is great and the terrain is varied as you traverse rural country roads. The course has a great elevation mix and will soon become one of the most popular in the series.

Run Course: The Olympic run course is the same as the Sprint course, it’s just 2 loops. There is a large hill at the beginning coming out of T2 but it levels off for the middle section of the course. There is a large down hill towards the finish line where athletes will start their second lap of the run. On your second pass athletes will veer 15 degrees into the finishing chute. The course is heavily shaded, well supported and entirely run on asphalt.

Course Maps

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
Course Details

Swim Course: The 750 meter swim begins on the beach at Lake Anna State Park. The rectangular shaped course will have 2 right turns and sighting buoys will be located approximately every 75 meters. We expect the water at this time of year and at this section of the lake to be in the low 70’s. A temperature reading will be taken and posted the Thursday prior to the event. The water temperature at this location has averaged in the low 70’s which is pretty nice for October!

Bike Course: The bike course is a lollipop style 15.5 mile course. With a left turn out of the park athletes have great pavement and a few hills as they ride the country roads of Spotsylvania County.

Run Course: The Sprint run course starts with a serious climb out of transition on the main park road. You will be tired coming out of T2 but it levels off for the middle section of the course as you run along the forested cabin and campground loops. There is a large down hill towards the finish line where athletes will finish by veering 15 degrees off the beach sidewalk into the finishing chute. This is a scenic and seriously fast run course once you get past the first 1/4 mile!

Course Maps
DetailsPacket PickupLodgingNovice AthletesTrainingVolunteerCharities

USAT Sanctioned Event

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 Athlete Guide Participant list FAQs

Giant Acorn Olympic

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
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

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

Special Operations Warrior FoundationThe 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.
Chesapeake Bay FoundationThe 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.

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