JULY 13TH - 14TH | RACCOON RIVER PARK

This July, RipRoar, together with USA Triathlon and the Flatlands Cup, will host the 2024 USA Triathlon Youth and Junior National Championships at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines.

We're excited to extend our mission of shaping the next generation of triathletes to also helping shape the evolution of this event. Our role in this new type of National Championships not only contributes to building on it’s legacy but also showcases the unique culture and tradition that the RipRoar community has built

We’re motivated to make this the best possible National Championships experience. Over the coming months as we work to bring this vision to reality we encourage you to share your vision with us as well.

USA Triathlon Youth & Junior Nationals will take place within Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines, which has a rich triathlon history dating back to 2008 when the Hy-Vee Triathlon served as the final U.S. Olympic qualifying race for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Raccoon River’s central location in West Des Moines provides a refuge from the city with stunning lake views, a beach swim, and a flat bike and swim course. It’s here that RipRoar athletes have raced since 2015, growing the sport in unprecedented ways.

Volunteer

Want to help make USAT Youth and Juniors Nationals a fun and memorable race for our athletes? Sign Pp to volunteer with us! Opportunities are still available for Sunday.

Volunteers get a free t-shirt and are able to earn silver cord hours.

Weekend Schedule

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

THE COURSE

THE SWIM :
Athletes start their day on the beach of Raccoon River park. Athletes will swim one lap of their swim course. 13-18 year old athletes will have a mass start while the 7-12 year olds will participate in a time trial start.

Course specifics are available on the course map and will be covered in the athlete meetings (see meeting times below.)

SWIM START RULES :

• Athletes are required to wear the silicone RipRoar swim cap that is given to them at packet pickup. 

• Due to USAT regulations, athletes are not allowed to wear any kind of flotation device including life jackets or floaties. 

THE BIKE :
This flat bike course is very technical and will be great for developing bike handling skills on both 90 degree and 180 degree turns. This course is perfect for spectators and will allow all loved ones to watch a large portion of the bike. This bike course is a 5K loop where 18-11 year old athletes will complete two laps on the bike to race the 10k distance. 7-10 year olds will complete one lap to race their 5k distance.

Course specifics are available on the map and will be reviewed in the athlete meetings (see meeting times below.)

BIKE COURSE RULES :

• Athletes are required to wear a helmet on the bike.

• Athletes are required to have bar end plugs on their bike. If they’re missing handlebar plugs staff will have extras to give out at transition during check-in.

• As a reminder, USAT sanctioned youth events do not allow aero helmets, aero bars, or disc wheels.
  

THE RUN :
The running portion of our event, sponsored by Certified Piedmontese Beef, will take place on the interior paved trails of Raccoon River Park. Athletes will run on the east side of the lake around trails that are more tucked away from the elements. 11-12 year olds will run one lap to complete their 2k run and 7-10 year olds will do one 1K lap. 13-18 year olds will run two laps of their run course to complete their 2.5k run.

Course specifics available on the map and will be reviewed in the athlete meetings (see meeting times below.)

RUN COURSE RULES :

• Athletes are required to wear their race bibs for this leg of the race.

ATHLETE MEETINGS

Join us for Athlete Meetings Friday or Saturday at the Raccoon River Lodge. The race director from RipRoar Events will go over the course and other rules during these meetings. These meeting are optional but highly recommended for all ages and level of experience.

age divisions

Packet Pick-Up will be at Raccoon River Park at the Registration tent near the Merchandise Tent in the Expo area.

PACKET PICK UP HOURS

Registration Tent at Raccoon River Park

Friday, July 12th from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Saturday, July 13th from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Athletes must pick up their packets during the times listed above before their race. Each packet will come with race tattoos, a swim cap, a timing chip, a bike sticker, and a helmet sticker, $10 RipRoar Rewards, and your official race bib + wristband (pass for one person to assist in transition.)

Athletes will have a placard marking their transition spot that matches their bib number. Only one adult is allowed in transition with each kid. The coach, parent and/or guardian who is assisting the athlete in transition for pre- and post race will need to wear the ‘TRANSITION ACCESS’ wristband provided on the athlete’s race bib. See above. Parents are NOT allowed in transition during the race, but there will be RipRoar staff and volunteers assisting athletes.

Athletes must rack their bike by the seat with the front wheel closest to the athlete if they’re facing their placard. Transition will close at 7:00am, 15 minutes before the start of the first race.

It is also a RipRoar policy that athletes need to wait to remove their belongings from transition until the entire race is over.

Using the Top 15 places for every age division from the 2023 USA Triathlon Youth and Junior Nationals held in Milwaukee, WI, will be seeded in place order to start their race . Following them will be all other athletes lined up by last name. Athletes starting after the top 15 seeds will be lined up based on their assigned bib number. We assign bib numbers based on age and sex so that all athletes competing in the same division are grouped together. The order of athletes within these divisions is solely at the race director’s discretion and will not be lined up based on swimming ability. There will be 10-15 minutes in between each wave of ages to allow for athletes to reduce overlap and congestion on course.

The RipRoar finish line is unlike anything else, especially during the junior division event. Our belief is a straightforward one: triathlon is a hard sport, and we want to positively reinforce a child’s desire to do hard things. Therefore, we build a massive finish line chute, line it with red carpet, and strongly encourage all athletes and spectators to help make it something special. If we all do our part, we can get these kids addicted to the feeling of crossing difficult finish lines.

13-18 YEAR OLDS

SATURDAY, JULY 13TH AT 7:30 PM | Team USA Dance Party

7-12 YEAR OLDS

SUNDAY, JULY 14TH AT NOON (AFTER MIX TEAM RELAY EVENT) | Awards Stage

Triathlon represents a big challenge for our athletes and we give out big hardware. Every finisher, regardless of place will receive a super sweet finisher medal. In addition, we highlight the top five boys and top five girls from every age (6, 7, 8, etc). The award ceremony is held approximately 20 minutes following the final finisher crossing the line. During this time we invite all athletes to remove all their items from transition. Those looking to leave the venue are welcomed to do so.

Official Host Hotels

We are excited to offer our families a great host hotel located in the heart of Des Moines just a quick 15 min. drive to Raccoon River Park. Hotel rooms are available for the nights of Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

We’d like to emphasize that the weekend of July 13 and 14 is exceptionally busy in our city. Not only are we hosting the Triathlon Youth and Junior Nationals, but there are also national events for baseball, hockey, volleyball, and basketball, alongside an Indy Car race and a music festival. Because of this, we highly advise you to book accommodations for your family as soon as possible to ensure availability. 

*Note: This offer is good through May 29th or while rooms last