WE’VE GOT THE HEATS
Next Up:
Turkey Day 6K
Sun, November 24, 2024
9 am CDT start
Burn some to earn some! Join us for a Thanksgiving Day virtual 6K erg race! Start the day with a solid metabolism boost to prepare yourself for what comes next. All are welcome! Happy Thanksgiving!
Full-entry racers will receive a custom Turkey Day 6K pot holder!
This is the fourth ranked distance of the Metron Maximus Quest.
What the heck is the Metron Maximus?! Click HERE to find out!
All race results reported to Concept2 rankings.
This virtual race will be conducted ONLINE using ERGZONE.
The app is free to download in your mobile app store.
Solo Race Entry - $25 (Race merch and media)
Speed Pass Entry - $15 (Race access only)
Full-entry racers will receive a Turkey Day 6K race 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.
Offline racers may only submit one entry.
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.
Pricing Update!
New for 2024: THE SPEED PASS
Not interested in the 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 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 all it costs to compete in any of our races if you choose the Speed Pass option at registration.
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
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
Event access only. (No merch or media.)
Race Package Pricing:
2025 Fools Fest Sprints - 3 races
Full Package: $40
Speed Pass: $30
2024/25 Ergon Metron Series Cup Championship - 4 races
Full Package: $80
Speed Pass: $55
2024/25 Metron Maximus - 10 races
Full Package: $180
Speed Pass: $125
2024/25 Erg Rats Extravaganza - 14 races
Full Package: $250
Speed Pass: $175
Registration for all events opens June 1, 2024
• Erg Rats Extravaganza registration closes - Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
• Metron Maximus registration closes - Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
• Ergon Metron registration closes - Sunday, July 14, 2024.
• Fools Fest Sprints registration closes - Sunday, April 6, 2025.
• Individual races may be entered up until the event’s scheduled race day.
NEW EVENT!
Starts July 14, 2024
ALL THE RACES. ALL THE RANKINGS.
The Metron Maximus is the complete virtual erg quest. Have you ever wanted to complete every ranked distance piece in the Concept2 logbook? This event is that. The Maximus is possibly the most difficult erg challenge on earth. Completing this quest will require both mental and physical mastery. Injuries will come, illness will happen, and schedule conflicts will magically appear. Do you have what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles and unseen hurdles to complete this quest? If so, you are made of tough stuff, and this challenge is for you! All results are ranked on Concept2.
Registration opens on June 1, 2024, and closes on July 9, 2024.
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
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 - 7/14/24
Ghost Riders Revenge 5K - 10/13/24
Frozen Hell No! 10K - 1/12/25
Only Fools Do 2Ks - 4/6/25
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.
2024 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.
Full Package Entry - $80 (Includes EM Cap, race merch, and media)
Speed Pass Entry - $55 (Race access only)
Registration opens June 1, 2024.
EM Stage Races:
Summer Sweater 1K
Sun 7/14/24 – 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 10/13/24 – 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! 10K
Sun 1/12/25 – 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! 10K can be entered as a solo event or as part of the series.
REGISTER
Only Fools Do 2Ks
Sun 4/6/25 – 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
Prizes & Awards
All racers who complete the full Ergon Metron will be awarded an Elite EM Master Race Cap, courtesy of Ride Backwards.
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.
Elite Ergon Metron24 Master Race Cap
Are you haunted or do you haunt?
This year’s Elite Ergon Metron Master Race Cap design features our Ghost Riders Revenge 5K, straight from the crypt, a litte dusty with cobwebs, but ready to rise into action! Each year we will debut a new cap design that speaks to the soul of this event and represents our battle in the quest for Master status. Doing a fall 5K offers revenge to those not born to sprint, and for sprinters it is a scary chase to the finish before being caught.
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 for the Ergon Metron Series Cup opens on June 1, 2024, and closes on race day of the Summer Sweater 1K on July 14, 2024.
Individual race registration is open until noon the day before each of our races.
Racers can sign up for each stage race of the Ergon Metron individually or enter the entire Series Cup Championship. Once the Summer Sweater 1K is complete, entry to the Series Cup is closed for the year.
Full Package Entry - $80 (Includes EM Master Cap, race merch, and media)
Speed Pass Entry - $55 (Race access only)
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!
Fools Fest Sprints! Fun for the entire crew! Grab your relay partner and your kid! Let’s party on our ergs!
Want to complete every ranked distance event in the C2 logbook? Sign up for the Maximus and get it done!
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!
Get on our email list for race news and updates!
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.