Featured in Triathlete Magazine as a bucket list tri, Battle of Waterloo has 10 legs totaling 42 miles that traverse the sprawling Waterloo Recreation Area, one of the most rugged and beautiful parks in the Midwest. You’ll bike paved remote roads, run winding dirt lanes, climb steep trails, and swim across three wilderness lakes… carrying your shoes and swim gear with you the entire time. Don’t have that much time? Try Half the Battle: six legs, 18 miles of the same terrain (OK, less than half, but Half the Battle is a great name!).

The Battle of Waterloo is the real deal: no cargo nets to climb, no pits of mud in your path, no monkey bars to maneuver through. The lake may be ice cold… or it may not. Our only threat of electroshock is a thunderstorm. Lilypad tangles and jungles of aquatic plants are amongst the obstacles you’ll encounter. Battle of Waterloo is you and mother nature and you’ll win the battle!

Full Battle (all distances in miles) — Run (1.4 miles), Bike (20.5), Swim (.45), Run (4), Swim (.25), Run (3.4), Swim (.7), Run (3.3), Bike (5.8), Run (1.4)
Half Battle (all distances in miles) — Run (1.4 miles), Bike (5.8), Swim (.45), Run (4), Bike (5.8), Run (1.4)

Please note that all of the information here pertains to both the full and half-battle.  The only difference is that the half-battle has fewer legs.

Click here to view a demonstration of the appropriate gear needed for the Battle of Waterloo from the Race Director herself!

Directions

Big Portage Lake, Waterloo State Recreation Area
11500 Seymour Rd, Grass Lake, MI 49240
Please use this address to access the correct entrance! Most GPS units will locate Waterloo Rec Area at the McClure Road location, so please use the stated address on Seymour Road.

Park Entry
A State Park permit, or Recreation Passport is needed to enter Waterloo State Recreation Area. Visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' website here for pricing and more information.

Certification

This race is sanctioned by USA Triathlon (USAT) therefore all participants must have an annual membership or purchase a one-day membership. These options will be available during the registration process. The annual membership fee is $50 and the one-day fee is $15. To learn more about USAT visit https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlon/.

Click here to see USAT’s competition rules. To learn the most common USAT rule violations, click here.

Because our triathlons are sanctioned by USA Triathlon (USAT), we follow their wetsuit rules. Competitors may wear wetsuits if the water temperature is 78 degrees or lower. USAT rules also state that if the water temperature is between 78.1 – 83.9 degrees, competitors may wear wetsuits but will not be eligible for awards.

Click here to see the USAT-approved skinsuits.

Course

Please note that in the interest of safety, all courses are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the race director.

Battle of Waterloo: Ten legs — run, bike, swim, run, swim, run, swim, run, bike, run — for a total of approximately 42 miles
Approximately 1.5 total miles of swimming, 26 miles of cycling, and 13 miles of running
Leg 1: Run 1.4 miles through Big Portage Lake State Park
Leg 2: Bike 20.5 miles from Big Portage Lake State Park to Clear Lake
Leg 3: Swim 0.45 miles across Clear Lake
Leg 4: Run 4 miles to Mill Lake
Leg 5: Swim 0.25 miles across Mill Lake
Leg 6: Run 3.4 miles to Crooked Lake
Leg 7: Swim 0.7 miles across Crooked Lake
Leg 8: Run 3.3 to Clear Lake, which is where you left your bike
Leg 9: Bike 5.8 miles to Big Portage Lake State Park
Leg 10: Run 1.4 miles through Big Portage Lake State Park to the finish line!

Half the Battle: Six legs — run, bike, swim, run, bike, run — for a total of approximately 18 miles
Approximately .5 total miles of swimming, 11 miles of cycling, 6 miles of running
Leg 1: Run 1.4 miles through Big Portage Lake State Park
Leg 2: Bike 5.8 miles from Big Portage Lake State Park to Clear Lake
Leg 3: Swim 0.45 miles across Clear Lake
****Leg 4: Run 3 miles around the lake back to the Clear Lake Transition Area
Leg 5: Bike 5.8 miles to Big Portage Lake State Park
Leg 6: Run 1.4 miles through Big Portage Lake State Park to the finish line!

Portable toilets and/or toilets will be available at:
Clear Lake
Mill Lake
Crooked Lake
Park Headquarters

Post-Race Party

Stick around post race for food and festivities! Our Epic staff and volunteers will be cooking up pancakes, breakfast burritos, and more for race participants.

Zero Waste

The event is a Leave No Trace event. Learn more about our race-day recycling and composting efforts here. Want more information about running a great race and leaving no trace? Click here to visit Happy Planet Running!

→ Read the 2023 Battle of Waterloo sustainability report here!