Chicagoan Patrick Nardi couldn’t figure out a good place to put his race number on his bike. So he invented one.
I talked to a former highly competitive runner the other day, who lamented the fact that he wasn’t fast anymore. He’s in his 50s.
Michigan
From the Upper Peninsula to the streets of the Rock City, there are endurance destinations and trails in the Great Lake State that can give a swift workout to the Wolverine in all of us.
The Upper Peninsula
particularly has many training runs and scenic trail paths and can be a great
escape no matter your fitness level. If you are visiting friends or going to a
summer home near Traverse City, Beulah, Eagle Harbor or Grand Maris in the UP,
you should have no problem grabbing a bike or your shoes for a trail as these
are some of the most picturesque, calm areas in Michigan. The Grand Traverse
Resort in Traverse City (www.grandtraverseresort.com) specifically surrounds some magnificent golf
courses and adjacent trails—so after a morning workout you can work on your
upper body strength with a challenging golf workout. If you need a tried and
true trail in the UP, visit www.uprrc.org for pointers.
A campus run in Lansing,
Mich., can give some old college spirit to your workout especially taking a
route near Spartan Stadium or near quiet spots such as the Sanford Natural Area
and Baker Woodlot. The best Lansing trail close to town is the over eight mile
River Trail, which starts near the Breslin Center, and winds alongside Red
Cedar. Lake Lansing Park has quaint scenery and a relaxing path as well.
If you are in the Ann
Arbor area, Huron River Trails seem to be the best with natural, windy, hilly
trails with great views of the river. The Ann Arbor Track Club details many of
the best trails and paths on their website, www.aatrackclub.org.
Near Detroit, you can’t
miss Belle Island, which is about six miles around and touted by some as the
most scenic place in the area with Detroit and Lake St. Clair merging for a
waterfront path and some memorable views of the Windsor neighbors. In the main
city, Lafayette Park is a great running architectural tour with historic
townhouses, apartments and high-rises by noted designers. The Grosse Pointes
are some of the most affluent suburban areas in Detroit and are also a marvel
to journey through.
If you need any more
reasons to explore Michigan here are just a handful of some races that headline
the state:
Apple Cider Century is
an annual one-day, 25, 50, 62, 75 or 100 mile bicycle tour of the orchards,
forests and wine country in and around Three Oaks.
Travelgator.com, a great
website for adventurous athletes, notes that the town's Harbor Arts
organization sponsors classic film art and Shakespeare in the summer and Art
Attack's Performance Art Festival and the Festival of Lights in the winter. The
Three Oaks Spokes Club sponsors the Bicycle History Museum in downtown Three
Oaks. The century is one of the Midwest's largest one-day century events and
takes place September 28. www.applecidercentury.com
Michigan also holds the
Ore to Shore and Iceman Cometh Challenge, two of its most popular mountain bike
races. The Ore to Shore is August 9 in Marquette, Mich., and touted as a
“Michigan's largest mass start point-to-point race.” Participants can do either
a 28-mile or 48-mile race. There are also kid-friendly events if you want to
bring the family. www.oretoshore.com. The Iceman Cometh Challenge is a 27-mile, point-to-point
mountain bike race in November in Kalkaska, Mich. Registration is extremely
limited though, so plan early. www.iceman.com
The Crim Festival of
Races in Flint is the largest 10 mile race in Michigan, and the 3rd largest in
the nation. The week before the August 23, race is a Food Fest and lots of
activities for attendees. Learn more at www.crim.org.
The Detroit Marathon in October is growing in terms of participation and spectators as it winds throughout the city and some neighboring suburbs. Eric Pender, 24, of Chicago, favors that race and the opportunity to run over the historic Ambassador Bridge. To save on hotel fees in Detroit, many visitors trek slightly north to Ontario for cheaper fares.
The Whirlpool Steelhead Half-Ironman distance triathlon (in Southwest Michigan) has become very popular, especially since it became a an official Ironman 70.3 event. That includes a 1.2 miles swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run (adding up to 70.3 miles). The race awards 75 slots to the top finishers for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Fla. Register (and get hotel reservations) early to ensure a spot. www.steelheadtriathlon.com
Saturday, May 10, may be
one of the best times to be in the “GR” as it is affectionately known to some
in Grand Rapids, for the River Bank Run (www.53riverbankrun.com). The River Bank Run is the largest 25K Road Race in the US. There is
also a 10k and 5k distance for those who want a lesser distance.
For Chicagoans there is
a train that can drop you off in Grand Rapids, which has a lot of chain hotels.
In Grand Rapids you are inevitably going to run into The B.O.B. (Big Old
Buidling), and entertainment complex with a variety of different types of
restaurants and clubs for whatever your pre-race appetite. www.thebob.com. Websites such as www.grandrapids.mi.us and www.wmta.org are packed with information, too.
The City of Roseville hosts a friendly, well-attended Big Bird Run every November, a good training run before the many turkey trots throughout Michigan and Illinois. www.ci.roseville.mi.us
