An estimated 800 people are set to take to their heels, their bicycles, and Lake Michigan, when the third annual North Shore Triathlon kicks off early Sunday.
As triathletes make their way through the east side of Wilmette and north through Kenilworth and Winnetka, Wilmette police are warning residents of street closures before and during the event.
Participants will start with a 500-meter swim along Gillson beach, beginning at 6:45 a.m. They will then move to their bicycles for a 20-kilometer ride along Sheridan Road, as well as Winnetka Avenue and Wilson Street in Winnetka, Wilmette Police Commander Patrick Collins said Aug. 13 in a press release.
The final leg of the triathlon will be a 5K run starting at Gillson and running east and west through Wilmette. All three legs of the triathlon will begin and end in Gillson Park, Collins said.
To prepare for the run, the non-beach sections and roadways through the non-beach sections of Gillson Park will be closed to public bicycle and vehicular traffic at 3 p.m. Saturday; that closure to vehicles will last until about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, although the beach itself will reopen to the public at about 9 a.m. that day, Collins said.
Gillson Beach, including the parking lot, will close at 9 p.m. Saturday and reopen at 9 a.m. the day of the triathlon, he said.
Further street closures will start at 6 a.m. the day of the triathlon, he said, including the intersection of Washington Avenue and Michigan Avenue, which will be closed from 6-10:30 a.m. Sunday, Collins said.
Residents on streets affected by the bike and run courses have been given parking permission for legal parking spaces on unaffected streets, he said.
One of the biggest changes for drivers on the day of the triathlon will closures of large sections of Sheridan Road, which comprises the majority of the bike route, Collins said. The detour will route most Sheridan Road traffic to Green Bay Road between Linden Avenue in Wilmette and Cherry Street in Winnetka to the north, via Linden Avenue and Cherry Street, he said.
There will be two exceptions, Collins said. Local traffic can use Sheridan between Linden and Isabella Street in Wilmette and between Cherry and Winnetka Avenue in Winnetka, while northbound traffic will be also able to use Sheridan north of its intersection with the 1100 block of Michigan Avenue in Wilmette, up to Winnetka Avenue.
Other closures for the biking segment of the triathlon include:
* Wilson Street in Winnetka between Ash Street and Winnetka Road;
* Winnetka Avenue between Green Bay Road in Winnetka and Sheridan Road in Kenilworth;
* Washington Avenue, between Sheridan and Michigan Avenue in Wilmette;
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* Michigan Avenue, between Lake Street and Sheridan in Wilmette.
Street closures for the 5K run will be limited to Wilmette and include:
* Michigan between Lake and Sheridan;
* Central Avenue between Sheridan and 4th Street and between 10th and 11th streets;
* Greenleaf Avenue between 4th and 11th Streets;
* 11th Street, between Greenleaf and Central;
* 10th Street between Greenleaf and Central.
The triathlon, presented by Precision Multisport of Evanston and co-sponsored by the Wilmette Park District and NorthShore University Health Systems, is a USA Triathlon Association-sanctioned event. For more information visit www.trinorthshore.com.
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Info: wwwtrinorthshore.com
North Shore Triathlon
What: 500-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride, 5-kilometer run
When: Aug. 23
Where: Wilmette, Kenilworth Winnetka