About this friendly "competition"
In the city of Chicago lives a group of people so unique and diverse in nature, that all hold at least one major thing in common: the need and desire to run. Of course, come winter time, many of us have found ice covered running paths and below zero temperatures enough of an excuse to sort of "slack off" on our athletic awesomeness.
That is, until Jamie came up with a plan to get us all back into shape and ready for the upcoming running season.
The plan: over a six week period we would each complete what would be the equivalent of a triathlon: 2.5 miles swam, 26.2 miles run and 112 miles biked. The catch is that we don't have to do it all in one day like a normal triathlon -- we get to spread it out over the six weeks. We were all given the option to mold our own version of the "Lazyman" to fit our specific needs, for example, those of us unable to get to a pool can do a double run option (54.4 miles) and bike instead of swim. Other variations are available, so long as we are doing something!
The basic rules are as follows: you must complete the base number of miles you committed to in six weeks, otherwise you and all the others that didn't complete their goal must treat those that DID finish, to a meal. You can read the complete rules here.
Slowly but surely, Jamie's challenge was accepted, the Chicago Lazyman was born and was completed (or not) with great success! The idea took off and we've been conducting three full-blown Lazyman challenges per year, along with a mini-event over the holidays!
- Winter/Spring (usually culminating with the Shamrock Shuffle)
- Summer (usually culminating with the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon -- formerly the Chicago Distance Classic)
- Fall (usually culminating with the Chicago Marathon)
- The "Holidazy," a shortened 4-week, lower-mileage event to help us get through the holidays.
Best of luck athletes! May the wind be at your heels, the water not too frigid and the bike seat not too hard... and may the Lazyman kick you all back into shape!
Ready to join in the fun? It doesn't matter what city you're in -- Sign up!