WE’VE GOT THE HEATS
Next Up:
Marathon Mayhem
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Racing starts at 8 am CDT
The Crazy In Love & Heaven Help Us marathon events are now part of our new month-long marathon experience at Fools Fest Sprints, Marathon Mayhem! Distance racing is brutal, but people love it. For those who can’t seem to get enough meters, we have created Marathon Mayhem. During May, you can put all that winter training to the test during our Heaven Help Us Half and Crazy In Love Marathon events! Both races will offer opportunities to race against others or go solo if you prefer not to compete. Select the event on ErgZone that you want to compete in on May 3. You can choose either the half or full marathon distance, but please note that you can only participate in one live virtual race at 8 am CDT.
The Marathon Mayhem package includes two races:
1. Heaven Help Us/Heaven Heard Us Half Marathon
2. Crazy In Love/Not So In Love Marathon
All of our virtual races will be conducted ONLINE using ERGZONE.
The app is free to download from your mobile app store.
Full Package entry - $40 (Race merch and media)
Speed Pass entry - $30 (Race access only)
Heaven Help Us/Heaven Heard Us
Sunday, May 3, 2026
8 am CDT
21,097 meters. How to get there? You decide. Do it all in one sitting and race for time and C2 ranking against others in a live virtual race on ErgZone - the Heaven Help Us–RACE. Or, break it up into four 5,000m intervals and one 1,097 m interval, and complete it over 48 hours - the Heaven Heard Us. Options are good! You pick.
• Race results for the Heaven Help Us will be reported to Concept2 rankings if completed on a C2 model erg.
• All Full-Entry racers from both events will receive a 3" UV-protected vinyl Heaven Help Us race decal and a social media share image of the event.
This virtual event will be conducted ONLINE using ERGZONE.
The app is free to download from your mobile app store.
Solo Race Entry - $25 (Race merch and media)
Speed Pass Entry - $15 (Race access only)
Crazy In Love/Not So In Love Marathon
Sunday, May 3, 2026
8 AM CDT
Pain, suffering, and stamina. What else? 42,195 meters.
1. Crazy In Love Erg Marathon—RACE. In this virtual event, you compete live on ErgZone against others to row the fastest 42,195 meters. You will be ranked in the Concept2 logbook for the marathon distance.
2. Not So In Love Erg Marathon. This option breaks the marathon distance into ten 4Ks and one 2,195m row over 4 days. (10 x 4,000m - 4 days). This counts to earn your decal, but you will not be ranked on C2.
• CIL race results are reported to Concept2 rankings for competitors using C2 model ergs.
All racers will receive a 3" UV-protected vinyl Crazy In Love decal and a social media share image of the event.
This virtual race will be conducted ONLINE using ERGZONE. The app is free to download from your mobile app store.
Solo Race Entry - $25 (Race merch and media)
Speed Pass Entry - $15 (Race access only)
Attention Racers! If you are competing in a different time zone, offline, or on an older model erg, submit your results on ErgZone after you race, including a screenshot of your monitor's race screen.
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 manual submission window will remain open until March 29, 2026.
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 and other merch. (You do not need to fill this out for every event unless your address has changed; then please update it.)
FFS PRICING
GET RACE ACCESS CHEAP AND FAST WITH OUR SPEED PASS!
Not interested in race merch, social media images, and certificates? Just want to race? That’s cool. We’ve created a new payment option called the Speed Pass that grants access to some of our events at a discounted price without any of the extras. The Speed Pass is ideal for rowers who want to test their stuff against other rowers worldwide, have their results reported to Concept2 for ranked events, and not pay for anything but access to our event on ErgZone.
$15 is the most you’ll pay for any of our individual events if you choose the Speed Pass option at registration, some events are even cheaper! We also offer Speed Pass pricing on our race packages.
Speed Pass race results will be reported to Concept2 rankings and posted on our leaderboard.
Full-price, “Full-Entry” race access for solo events and race packages will continue to include all race merch, official race decals, social media share images, race certificates, and all shipping and handling fees for US and international racers.
Individual Race Pricing:
Solo event “Full-Entry”: $25 (some events are less!)
Includes race merchandise, official race decals, social media share images, race certificates, and all shipping and handling fees for US and international racers.
Solo event Speed Pass: $15 (some events are less!)
Event access only. (No merch or media.)
Race Package Pricing:
June Bug Sprints - 3 races
Full Package: $45
Speed Pass: $35
Marathon Mayhem - 2 races
Full Package: $40
Speed Pass: $30
2025/26 Ergon Metron Series Cup Championship - 4 races
Full Package: $80
Speed Pass: $55
2025/26 Erg Rats Extravaganza - 14 races & competitions
Full Package: $250
Speed Pass: $175
Registration for all events opens May 1, 2025, on ErgZone.
• Registration for all our races and competitions opens on May 1, 2025, and closes on the day of each event. The only exception is the Mutant Ninja Rower, which has an open registration from May 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026.
The FINAL 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.
This will be the last Ergon Metron Series Cup! Join us to earn the final of the Ergon Metron Master Caps!
Four Seasons - Four Races
The Ergon Metron Virtual Erg Race Series Cup is the first and only year-round virtual erg race championship series. It features four classic stage race distances, one every season because, for the true competitor, it’s never over. All results are ranked on Concept2.
Ergon Metron Races:
Summer Sweater 1K - 6/8/25
Ghost Riders Revenge 5K - 10/26/25
Frozen Hell No! 10K - 1/11/26
Only Fools Do 2Ks - 3/29/26
The Ergon Metron Champion will be the rower with the fastest overall combined time from all four races.
Racers must complete all four races to be awarded the status of Ergon Metron Master and earn their race cap.
If you miss the scheduled start on race day you still have 30 days to submit your race result with a screenshot to remain eligible to be capped, but you will be out of contention for the rankings and overall championship.
The EM Series Cup is for the truly committed. There are no refunds for scratches, and you only receive your cap if you complete all four races. When you enter the Ergon Metron, you make a pact with yourself. To win the Series Cup Championship is a feat of skill and stamina. You are a true master. 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.
Not sure you’re up to the challenge? Enter one stage race at a time. Who knows, you might complete the series and be awarded Ergon Metron Master Status!
Learn how to participate on our Race Info Page.
2025 Ergon Metron Progress Map
2025 Registration
Registration for the EM Series Cup closes the morning of the first stage race in June, the Summer Sweater 1K.
You must enter and compete in the Summer Sweater 1K on June 8 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.
Full Package Entry - $80 (Includes EM Cap, race merch, and media)
Speed Pass Entry - $55 (Race access only)
Registration opens May 1, 2025.
HOW WE RACE
All of our indoor rowing virtual events are held 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 for all our races and competitions opens on May 1, 2025, and closes on the day of each event. The only exception is the Mutant Ninja Rower, which has an open registration from May 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026.
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 our Race Info to learn more.
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 and sign up!
Erg Rats Extravaganza! All of our year round virtual erg races in one race package! Sign up and stay motivated!
June Bug Sprints! Spring season is sprint season! Let’s go! Fire up your legs and get ready to burn up the slide!
It’s Marathon Mayhem! Distance warriors, May is marathon month, half, full, or both! You decide.
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!
ABOUT
At Fools Fest Sprints, we believe that serious competition is seriously fun. We offer year-round competitive, ranked erg racing and 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 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.