Inside the Unofficial, Unsanctioned World of Picnic Triathlons

September 3, 2026

At the sleepy hour of 1:40 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2025, Manny Pacheco and Liam Sullivan left the warmth of a friend’s home in Jackson, Wyoming. They mounted their bikes and rode to the iconic Elk Antler Arches in Town Square, which is the traditional starting point of an unconventional triathlon known as the Grand Teton Picnic.

“We made the dark, 23-mile ride from town to Grand Teton National Park, each carrying between 25 and 35 pounds of supplies,” says Pacheco, explaining that the triathlon doesn’t have a fixed start date. triathlete