WE’VE GOT THE HEATS
Next Up: 500m Salute 2 The Troops
500m Salute 2 The Troops
Sunday, May 26, 2024
Entry $26
9 am CDT start
Fools Fest Sprints salutes the memory and service of our troops. This Memorial Day weekend, we will race 500m with everything we've got in honor of those who gave everything they had and made the ultimate sacrifice. This will be a Triple Crown event.
Triple Crown?
Racers are invited to compete in three 500m races. Do one, do two, do all three for the Triple Crown. Each of the three 500m intervals will have a 5-minute rest in between. Claim victory in one, two, or all three 500m races!
This event is a fundraiser for the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust, which receives a 100% 4-star rating on Charity Navigator. 10% of your entry fee will be donated. The Erg Rats are proud to lead the charge and encourage you to join our indoor infantry for this worthy event.
• All racers will receive a 3" UV-protected vinyl Erg Rats Memorial Decal.
• Results reported and ranked on Concept2
This virtual race will be conducted ONLINE using the ERGZONE app.
The app is free to download in your mobile app store.
All racers will receive an Erg Rats Memorial UV-protected decal.
3” UV laminated polypropylene
Attention Racers! If you are competing in a different time zone or on an older model erg, offline independently, you must submit your results on the ErgZone app after you race.
The submission window will open after the live virtual event in Chicago is completed. Once we finish racing here in Chicago, the event will be unlocked on the app for you to submit your score and screenshot of your monitor.
The submission window will remain open for 24 hours after the offical race date and start time.
PS. If you did not fill out the racer contact form when you registered, please do so now so we can ship your official race decal.
Get on our email list for race news and updates!
Cap Racers Quest
$30 Entry
Cap Racers Quest! Starts today and ends when you complete it!
Erg racers: We have unclaimed Ergon Metron Race Caps!
Did you miss the start of the Ergon Metron Series Cup Championship last July and lose the chance to earn an elite EM performance race cap? No worries, we've created an opportunity for you to complete all four seasonal races and earn one! The best part is that you can complete these stage races according to your own schedule.
👊 Knock off these events one at a time each week, or if you're feeling spicy, sit down and do them all in one shot!
⏰ You determine when you race and in which order you do each event. There's no right time or day to do it; just GET IT DONE and get a cap!
⚠️ Get entered and claim your cap!
Complete all 4 stage race workouts of the Ergon Metron Series Cup and earn yourself an elite EM Master Race Cap!
Since this event is an independent quest, email us at info@foolsfestsprints.com when you complete all four stage races so we can check the results page. We will not be looking at the ErgZone results every day, so it's on you to let us know you've completed all four races.
⚠️ Did you already complete one of the 2023/24 Ergon Metron stage races? That result counts toward earning your cap! (You don't need to redo any events.) Only complete the stage races you’ve missed.
If you haven't completed any of the four stage races, you must complete them all to earn a cap. Rowers who haven't done any of our races yet can participate, too! To the victor go the spoils!
All racers will receive a 3" UV-protected vinyl Ergon Metron decal.
Race results reported to Concept2 rankings.
The Ergon Metron
One race to rule them all,
One race to find them,
One race to bring them all,
And in the series bind them
The Ergon Metron Series Cup
The first and only worldwide, year-round virtual erg race championship series. Four challenging stage races, one every season, to keep you in it and on it because, for the true competitor, it’s never over…
Competitors can enter each stage race as a solo event for $26 or sign up for the Series Cup for $80. Enter one race, enter them all, but only those who complete all four seasonal stages races will be capped an Ergon Metron Master.
The Ergon Metron Champion will be the rower with the fastest overall combined time from all four virtual erg races.
Prizes will be awarded to the overall EM Series Cup champions and the winners of each race division.
All race results are reported to Concept2 rankings.
2023 Registration
Registration for the EM Series Cup closes the morning of the first stage race in July, the Summer Sweater 1K.
You must enter and compete in the Summer Sweater 1K in July to be included in the Series Cup Championship rankings. Don’t wait to sign up! Once the SS1K is completed, you cannot enter the series.
Stay Informed:
Get on our very infrequent email list at the bottom of our contact page to stay updated on series championship news, events, and Erg Rats training announcements!
Find year-round erg racing events here!
The Ergon Metron
Four Seasons - Four Races
The Ergon Metron Series Cup is comprised of four virtual seasonal erg races.
Summer Sweater 1K - 7/16/23 √
Ghost Riders Revenge 5K - 10/15/23 √
Frozen Hell No! 9K - 1/14/24 √
Only Fools Do 2Ks - 4/7/24
Ergon Metron23 progress map
Racers must complete all four events to earn their cap and be awarded the status of Ergon Metron Master.
This event is for the truly committed. There are no refunds for scratches, and you only receive recognition and reward if you complete all four races.
You are making a covenant with yourself when you enter the Ergon Metron. To win the Ergon Metron is to be declared the greatest erg racer in the world. To finish the Ergon Metron is to be named amongst an elite group of dedicated athletes with legs of steel and the perseverance of hungry lions.
Registration for the series is now closed and competition is underway. You can still enter the remaining virtual erg stage races as independent events. Join us!
Prizes & Awards
All racers who complete the full Ergon Metron will be awarded an Elite EM Master Race Cap, courtesy of Ride Backwards.
Elite Ergon Metron23 Master Race Cap
That’s hot!
The Elite Ergon Metron23 Master Race Cap design features our Summer Sweater cable knit, straight from the Aran Islands of Ireland. Each year we will debut a new vibrant cap design that speaks to the soul of this event and represents our battle in the quest for Master status. Doing an erg workout in the heat of summer is a sweater, to say the least. This cap says it all!
Prizes will be awarded to both the male and female Grand Champions at the completion of the Ergon Metron Series Cup and to the female and male winners of each race division.
Division winners of the Only Fools Do 2Ks, our premier erg event will receive die-cast medals, and the overall champions will have their names added to our Fools Fest trophy.
All racers will receive a digital certificate of completion to print, an official UV-protected race decal after each completed race, and an official FFS social media share image of event completion.
EM Stage Races:
Summer Sweater 1K
Sun 7/16/23 – 9 am CDT
No wind, no current, and no weather to contend with. Rip a 1K on your erg in the heat of summer and see what you’ve got without distraction or excuses. Are you at your sprinting peak, or have you fallen off from winter training? How does all the work you’ve been doing on the water translate? Not a water rower? Maybe you’re faster. There’s only one way to find out. Take your seat in the heat. It’s a sweater.
The first stage race of the Ergon Metron Series Cup, the Summer Sweater 1K, can be entered as a solo event or as part of the series.
REGISTER
Ghost Riders Revenge 5K
Sun 10/15/23 – 9 am CDT
Fall season is coming to a close, and the air is getting colder. Strength, stamina, and mental toughness are critical to success in this event. For those not afraid to stay the course and ready to take their revenge on the sprinters. Are you haunted, or do you haunt? Find out.
The second stage race of the Ergon Metron Series Cup, the Ghost Riders Revenge 5K, can be entered as a solo event or as part of the series.
REGISTER
Frozen Hell No! 9K
Sun 1/14/24 – 9 am CST
The Everest of the Ergon Metron, this event will test you to the core of your being. Not for those with soft hands or soft hearts. Legs of steel and the heart of a lion are required, along with an unabashed delight in suffering. Can you go to your pain cave and pitch a tent?
We shall see.
The third stage race of the Ergon Metron Series Cup, the Frozen Hell No! 9K, can be entered as a solo event or as part of the series.
REGISTER
Only Fools Do 2Ks
Sun 4/7/24 – 9 am CDT
You know it. It’s the race you love to hate and hate to love. You can’t seem to quit it, and it never goes away. The crown jewel of the Ergon Metron, our signature event, and the race against which all other erg races are measured. The best of strategy, execution, stamina, and technique. Do you have it?
The fourth and final stage race of the Ergon Metron Series Cup. Only Fools Do 2Ks can be entered as a solo event or as part of the series.
There will be decals, race caps and medals to win, official race merch for sale, and the champions will have their names written on the Fools Fest Sprints Trophy.
REGISTER
HOW WE RACE
The Ergon Metron Series Cup is a virtual event featuring live racing on ErgZone’s free race app. To participate in live racing on ErgZone, you will need an erg with a PM5 monitor.
If you’re racing on an older erg and don’t have a PM5 monitor, you can still compete! Find out more details on our Race Info Page.
Registration
Registration closes on race day before each of our races.
Sign up for each stage race of the Ergon Metron individually for $26 or as part of the Series Cup Championship for $80.
Registration for the EM Series Cup Championship (all four races) is now closed. Competitors may still enter the individual stage races but will be out of contention for winning the Ergon Metron Cup Championship.
Race Divisions and Classifications:
Results will be ranked by how you classified yourself on your Concept2 logbook account. All results are reported to Concept2 online rankings.
Check out the Ergon Metron Series Standings to see who’s in the lead and has the time to beat!
Click HERE to see our race records for each event!
International Rowers
Race no matter where you live!
International rowers can race independently in their local time zone or online with us here in the U.S. at our local time.
Click HERE for info & details.
Refunds & Scratches
There will be no refunds. Please know this upfront. We count on your entry fee to support this event and all the costs associated with it. We offer a 30-day race score submission window for the Ergon Metron Series Cup so you can earn your cap whether you miss the race day start or not. Learn more HERE.
Race Packages!
We’ve bundled your favorite virtual erg races to make registering easy and save you money! Check out each race package’s details under the EVENTS menu.
Erg Rats Extravaganza! All of our year round virtual erg races in one race package! Sign up and stay motivated!
Fools Fest Sprints! Fun for the entire crew! Grab your relay partner and your kid! Let’s party on our ergs!
ABOUT
At Fools Fest Sprints, we believe that serious competition can be seriously fun. We offer competitive, ranked erg racing along with fun indoor rowing challenges so you can choose the level you want to compete at.
We know only fools do 2Ks, but everyone loves a good time! Join us at Fools Fest Sprints for Chicago’s premier party with ergs, and test yourself in the Ergon Metron Virtual Erg Race Series Cup, our year-round seasonal erg championship, or sign up for one of our fun virtual indoor rowing challenges. Your erg is waiting! Come race with us.
Who we are
We are a group of rowers from Chicago who believe that competition is fun. We love to race, and we love to laugh, so we decided to host some erg events that offer both. Our commitment is to create fun events, with fierce but friendly competition. And beer.
Have a question?
We want to hear from you. Being competitive and having a laugh are not mutually exclusive. Our aim is to create an erg event that offers the best of both. If you have any questions about the event races, party, or just an idea you want to share, please contact us.
HOT BUTTONS
Find the event you are looking for and see what’s next on our year-round racing schedule!
Learn more about how we are running our race events, what’s required, and how virtual online racing works.
No need to go it alone, let’s row together! An online rowing community of independent rowers from all over the world. All are welcome.
Looking back through the years at all of our fun designs and memorabilia. We are proud of where we’ve been and are excited for where we’re going! Check out what we’ve done.