The future of the Lake in the Hills triathlon is uncertain after five years of lost revenue for the village, prompting the village’s park board to take action in the hopes of finding a way to host the event while minimizing the financial impact.

The village’s parks and recreation board voted Thursday to begin a search for a new race contractor who would agree to a contract that does not require the village to shoulder most of the expenses for the race. Officials said the village’s current contract with a race organizer has caused the village to lose thousands of dollars each year since 2015.

From 2007 to 2013, the village’s parks and recreation division organized the triathlon. The parks and recreation director at the time, Trudy Wakeman, was a professional triathlete and was able to organize the event, which includes several miles of running, biking and swimming. The village made a $4,250 profit from the event in 2013, according to village documents.

Lake in the Hills hired a new race director to take over for the event in 2015 after Wakeman’s retirement.

“The associated race director fees significantly impacted the village’s ability to profit from the event,” according to village documents. “Reports show minimal net revenues from 2015 through 2019, ranging from $45 to $1,800; however, the reports do not capture the village’s actual expenses for labor.”

When factoring in the costs for labor such as public works and lifeguard expenses the village takes on by hosting the event, officials said Lake in the Hills lost thousands each year. If the village stays with the current contract, officials said it could take a loss of $9,000 in 2022 if it hosts the triathlon.

Local participation also is an issue, parks and recreation division officials told the board. Although 260 people participated in the 2019 event at a cost of $85 a person, only 14 were Lake in the Hills residents. Officials said they want to be sure they are hosting an event local residents want to participate in.

The race did not take place in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

The village said it tried negotiating a new contract with the current race organizer to take on additional expenses, but the organizer still asked the village to take on labor and equipment expenses. Parks officials said organizing triathlons requires special knowledge of the event and is not a responsibility they could take on with the size and experience of the staff.

With the parks board’s direction Thursday, the village will begin searching for a new race organizer who is willing to take on labor and equipment expenses for the triathlon. However, the decision to find a new organizer leaves next year’s triathlon in question.

Parks officials said they still hope to host the triathlon next June, but they would need to hire a new race organizer by the end of 2021 to meet that timeline. They said it could take about six months to find an organizer who meets the village’s needs, and the village may need to push back the event’s date.

Next year’s event also could be canceled if the village is unable to find an organizer who is willing to take on expenses with enough time to get the event ready for next summer, officials said.