DUELING 200-ways
Vertical World Record
& Illinois RW State Record
August 16-22
2025
#dreambig2025
Vertical World Record
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The 250
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Vertical World Record • The 250 •
LOCATION
Skydive Chicago
3215 E 1969th Rd
Ottawa, Illinois, USA
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On-site Campground:Skydive Chicago offers on-site tent camping and shower house facilities with a total of ten showers. The campground provides 150 full and electric only RV campsites and an abundance of space for people to park RVs without hookups. Skydive Chicago also offers nine rental cabins within walking distance of the main hangar. There are three smaller electric only cabins and six newer cabins with a queen bed and full bathroom in each. Each cabin sleeps up to four people.
Click here for cabin and camping reservations and information.
Within 2 miles of the DZ (in Ottawa):Holiday Inn Express– (815) 320-2230
Econo Lodge– (815) 433-9600
Super 8– (815) 434-2888
Hampton Inn– (815) 434-6040
Fairfield Inn & Suites– (815) 431-8955Older, less expensive options:
Surrey Motel- (815) 433-1263
Sands Motel- (815) 434-6440There are also AirBNBs in the area to rent as well as nice vacation rentals through Heritage Harbor
Within 15 miles of the DZ (LaSalle-Peru, Utica, Streator):Fox River Bed and Breakfast– (815) 431-9257
Comfort Inn Peru– (815) 223-8585
The Daniels Motel LaSalle– (815) 223-3829
Days Inn LaSalle-Peru– (815) 224-1060
Fairfield Inn– (815) 223-7458
Econo Lodge- (815) 224-2500
Starved Rock Inn Utica– (815) 667-4211
Super 8 Peru– (815) 223-1848
Tou-Rest Motel Peru– (815) 223-0952
Prairie Lake Lodge- (815) 795-5107
LaQuinta Inn– (815) 224-9000
Super 8 – Streator- (815) 672-0080
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Skydive Chicago is about 1.1 hours from Chicago Midway International Airport and 1.5 hours from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Transportation to/from airports for competitors can be arranged with rental car services (including Uber, Lyft, or Turo) available at either Midway or O’Hare; costs vary based on rental agency and current rates.
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Jump Run Cafe will offer a breakfast buffet from 6-8am each morning and lunch on-site at the dropzone every day from 11am to 5pm during the event. They also have a full-size bar opened on evenings and weekends by the swimming pond at Tiki during this event!
The city of Ottawa also offers several nearby restaurant options only a 15 minute drive away, with other alternatives available in the town of Peru (25 minutes away), or greater Chicago area (1+ hour away).
Athletes
For skydivers invited to jump in the Vertical World Record or The 250 RW Illinois State Record!
We see your dedication to skydiving and your skill progression and are happy you are here!
You will receive your event specific information from your Captains. Apply below to be a part!
Skydive Chicago Drop Zone Briefing
SPECTATORS
The Vertical World Record
Two hundred men and women will descend on Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, to attempt a 200-way Head-Down Vertical World Skydiving Record. This is a single-point skydive where all jumpers will exit their planes and fly together to create one big formation. This world record attempt will utilize 9 aircraft, flying to 19,000 feet, an altitude so high the FAA requires on-board supplemental oxygen. This altitude will allow the group 60 seconds of working time. To break the record, all 200 jumpers must carefully lock arms in a pre-assigned, intricate pattern (with no errors) before separating and filling the sky with 200 parachutes.
The 250
Two hundred and fifty different men and women will also be jumping over the skies of Skydive Chicago in August of 2025 to set a new Illinois state large formation record! The orientation of this skydive is the traditional belly-to-earth style at approximately 120 mph. The current record was set by Roger Nelson in 1998 with a 246-way, and at the time it was a World Record as well as a State and National record. The 250 will be the largest formation attempted since the 400-way world record set in Thailand in 2006.
EVENT SCHEDULE
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EVENT SCHEDULE •
August 14-15
Check in will be available for all athletes. Please talk to your event organizer for details.
Athlete Check-in
August 16-17
Warm-up jumps will begin for both the VWR and The 250 groups. Please talk to your event organizer for details.
Spectators are welcome, but groups will be smaller on these days and no record attempts will be made.
Warm-up Jumps
August 18-22
Spectators are welcome and encouraged! Watching (and hearing) 200-250 skydivers build a formation in the sky then land their parachutes together is an incredible and rare experience! The greatest chance of record success will be Tuesday-Friday.
From 7am to Sunset each day each group will be taking turns at attempting their perspective record.
There will be a short break for both groups from mandated by Chicago Air Traffic Control.
Each group is aiming for 4 jumps each day to 19,000 feet.
Record Attempts
VOLUNTEER
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VOLUNTEER •
Get a front row seat on the action! It takes all of us to make an event this size successful and we could not do it without the volunteers! Thank you for taking the time to complete this registration form and we cannot thank you enough for the time you are about to share with us at the 2025 Vertical World Record and 2025 Illinois State RW Record!