“I just want to inspire people,” said Dylan Thompson, one of the youngest participants in this year’s 42nd annual Chicago Triathlon.
A Houston resident, Thompson, 13, has been racing since he was 6 years old and wants to motivate people to live healthily. Dylan is also part of Supertri NXT Gen, a program to support the future of triathlons.
Thompson was inspired to start competing by his dad, Matt Thompson.
“It makes you emotional, like it’s touching with somebody who wants to emulate you,” Matt Thompson said.
Although the triathlon community is small, Thompson said, he wants to help it grow and spread.
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On Sunday, participants began the triathlon swimming in Monroe Harbor, followed by cycling along DuSable Lake Shore Drive and finishing their race by running through Columbus Drive.
Olympic participants had a longer race than sprint participants. Competitors swam 0.93 miles, cycled 24.85 miles and ran 6.2 miles. The average completion time was 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Most participants competed in the sprint, a shortened version of the Olympic competition. In the sprint competition, participants swam about half a mile, cycled for 15 miles and ran 3.1 miles, which usually takes a little over two hours.
Competitors started early in the morning Sunday and were met with temperatures in the low 60s.
Due to “unfavorable” weather conditions, the swim portion of the triathlon was canceled in 2019 and 2023. Participants in those years competed in a duathlon, or a run-bike-run competition.
Maggie Muglia, a 25-year-old from Arlington Heights, participated in the 2023 competition for her first triathlon. She came back this year to compete in her third triathlon and competed in the Olympic triathlon for the first time, wanting to give herself a challenge.
“I felt like I was more capable, so I wanted to push myself,” Muglia said.
Michael D’hulst, co-founder and CEO of Supertri, the company that operates the Chicago Triathlon and has has owned the event since 2023, participated in Sunday’s Olympic event.
D’hulst said Chicago has a different energy than other places. “I find in Chicago, people are very motivated for sports, and everywhere you come, there’s open doors for sure,” he said.
With over 8,000 participants in this year’s Chicago Triathlon, making it one of the largest triathlons in North America, Dhulst said he has goals to make it one of the largest in the world. Last year, there were over 7,500 participants.
After competing for a little over two hours, D’hulst said he wasn’t participating to achieve a time goal, but to have fun and to meet people.
For the second year, Supertri held the Corporate Challenge, which helps raise money for Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
According to Supertri, each participant who wants to be a contributor in the Corporate Challenge must raise a minimum of $250. All the money raised will go towards the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Lurie.
Joanna Riester, the vice president for Lurie Children’s Foundation, said the Corporate Challenge has made a difference.
“Every year more than 220 new children are treated through the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Lurie Children’s,” Riester said. “That growing number of kids need support.”
This year’s participants raised over $84,000, which is over $15,000 more than last year’s $55,000 total.
Riester said that in the next few years, they plan to raise $1 million through the Corporate Challenge.
Tim Don, a four-time World Triathlon Champion, competed in the Chicago Triathlon. Don has also competed in three Olympic Games and was the former Iron Man world record holder.
This is the second time Don has competed in Chicago, and he said there’s a “vibe around the city.”
“Everyone’s on their own journey and everyone wants to achieve something, and you can see the euphoria when they cross the line,” Don said.
Tim Arthurs, a 44-year-old Chicago resident, competed in the sprint relay and won first place in the 40-to-45 age group.
Arthurs competed in his third triathlon Sunday and said he participates to work on team camaraderie.
“(Triathlons are) a good catalyst to get you focused and accountable,” Arthurs said.
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Arthurs also said he likes to compete, but finds that with age, some sports are harder to do. He finds the triathlon easier.
Sunday’s winner was Grahm Gaydos, a 23-year-old from Lakewood, Colorado. Gaydos competed in the Olympic triathlon and finished with a time of 1:52:25.