Whether you're interested in watching the pros, cheering on a friend or just experiencing the world's largest triathlon, the Accenture Chicago Triathlon offers a spectator-friendly course. All three legs of the race can be viewed within walking distance of the swim start, and there will be plenty of room for your family and friends at the event finish and Post Race Party.

The Swim
The swim takes place at Monroe Harbor with the start a half-mile south of the Chicago Yacht Club. The start is organized into approximately 56 waves with a maximum of 150 athletes per wave. If you're planning to watch for a particular athlete, it's key to know their wave #, race #, cap color & start time. There's a hilly, grassy area along the lakefront that offers a perfect spot to lay out a blanket & watch as the waves go off.

Buckingham Fountain is another good landmark to help you find the start. At the fountain, head east across Lake Shore Drive (LSD) to the starting area. Swimmers in the sprint distance race go north toward the Yacht Club. International distance triathletes first swim south towards the Shedd Aquarium before turning around a large buoy and heading north. All swimmers exit the water at a platform 100 yards south of the yacht club.

Transition 1
After exiting the swim, triathletes will follow the lakefront path to the transition area about 450 yards north of the swim exit. The transition area is fully fenced & easy to find with thousands of bikes racked together awaiting their riders.

Bike
After the 1st transition, triathletes enter Lake Shore Drive at Randolph Street and bike north to the turnaround just south of Foster Avenue. Sprint athletes do one lap & return to transition, International distance athletes do two laps. The bike leg is the toughest to watch. If you're up to the challenge, your best bet is to walk north along the Lakefront Path, across the Chicago River to Ohio Street Beach. From here, you'll get a good view of the cyclists on Lake Shore Drive.

It's close to a mile walk from the swim finish, so be aware that it will take awhile to make the trip there & back. You may want to consider waiting near the transition area or making your way south toward the run course before your triathlete returns.

Transition 2
After completing the bike, athletes enter transition, rack their bikes, put on their running shoes & exit transition on the south end.

Run
Athletes head south on the lakefront path (past the swim area) heading to the Shedd Aquarium. They will go past the aquarium to a turnaround point before heading back toward the finish. You can easily see a runner twice on the course, on the way out & heading back. After coming back around the Shedd Aquarium, the runners will go under Lake Shore Drive (through the Museum Campus underpass) then make a sharp right and head up the sidewalk parallel to Lake Shore Drive. Athletes then make a left onto the blacktop path, head west to Columbus Drive where they head north to the Finish Line.

The finish line is on Columbus Drive just south of Balbo Street. It is a great place to watch your favorite athlete finish (as well as the pros), but the finish zone is the most crowded part of the race. If you want a good spot (close to the finish line) plan to arrive early (before 10:30am). If you don't want to deal with the crowds, just walk along the course south of the finish line until you can find a clear spot.

Pro Watch in 2008:
In 2008, the pros will follow the same course as the age group athletes in the International Distance event. The male pros take off on the swim at approximately 11am followed by the pro women 3 minutes later. Although the finish zone will be crowded, you can easily find a spot a few hundred yards south of the finish. You can expect the top male pro to be out of the water in 18 minutes, with an hour on the bike & 35 minutes on the run.

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