Ore 2 Shore

Dan Frayer without the

Traveling Circus
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Fueled with home brewed coffee granola bars, I made the 8 hour voyage into Michigan’s better top half for my 2nd attempt at the Ore 2 Shore Mountain Bike Race.

A point to point 48 mile grind from Neguanee to Marquette, this race winds up and down and over and through iron mining towns via two track, gravel roads and long paved climbs.

Think of this race as the IceMan’s less popular, but far naughtier best friend. The one that puts out every time, but you really have to work for it.

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Steady rain on Friday made the sandy sections fast and the red dusty sections muddy, providing me with 2014 IceMan flashbacks between the views of Lake Superior and Fat Bikers roaring past on the downhills.

I spent the day trading spots with IceMan legend and Bunker Hill Bikes’ Chad Schut. His 29+ Michigan made machine pulled away on the rough descents and I would pull him back one gritty miserable climbing pedal stroke at a time.

I finished the day just over 3 hours and 14 minutes, which bested my 2013 time of 3 hours and 22 minutes.

I made the drive home on Saturday reflecting on the $4 toll you pay after crossing the mighty Mackinac Bridge. Well worth the price of admission.

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Grand Island Marathon

Yet another race report brought to you by the Bridges….(but this time there were no bikes and no kids!)

it was forced into the schedule. The marathon course follows the perimeter of Grand Island counter clockwise on a dirt trail with awesome views of Lake Superior and the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore.
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I was able to set a new PR with a 3:57:53, shaving a whole 6 seconds off my best marathon! I ended up 7th in my age group. This course is a lot harder than my previous time that I set at the Grand Rapids Marathon, so I am very pleased with my race. I am wondering what I could do on a flat road course, Indy perhaps?

Katie

I finished the Grand Island Half Marathon. I wanted to do this race for a long time; especially when Trail Runner Magazine featured it as a top 21-destination race. It is a Great Lakes Endurance race, and I had run the Tahqua Trail Run in 2012. Since Tahqua, which was an amazing experience, I looked forward to returning to the beautiful Upper Peninsula. This race was epic. The highlight was running along a single track trail just feet from a cliff and the pristine water of Lake Superior (far) below. Once past the finish line, I joined the many runners in the lake to cool off. How many races can do that?
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My time was less than impressive. My chip time was 2:37:49, my slowest Half ever. I did stop and take pictures, and I’ll say I enjoyed the course and was happy with my “results!”

Smile, Kevin. You are about to run a marathon!
Smile, Kevin. You are about to run a marathon!

Ironman Muskoka 70.3

A Race Report from Charles

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Muskoka, Canada is a region in Canada that is referred to as triathlon country. It is filled with lakes, “rolling” hills, small towns, scenic rides and is understandably, an athletes little heaven. It is also said to be one of the toughest terrains for athletes. One tourism magazine was quoted as saying “Anyone who completes a triathlon in Muskoka earns major bragging rights.” The Ironman 70.3 Muskoka was, to date, the toughest challenge that I have faced (even compared to the Lumberjack 100)!

Pre-race, I had my finish time in mind. Although, I knew with this being my first 70.3 imagethat you never know what to actually expect. The event took place at a local resort. The swim was uneventful and my time was just as I had anticipated. The almost 1/4 hike through the golf course up to transition was an interesting experience.

Hopping onto the bike I was hopeful. I was also already anticipating the climbs that the course would undoubtedly provide. Just drivingariund the area the previous day proved this bike would be no easy feat. These are not the hill climbs you see in Michigan, and definitely not the hill climbs I had been training on! Surprisingly, I finished the bike almost right on my target goal, averaging 17.5 mph (which was somewhat surprising considering the number of times I was under 5 mph just trying to reach the top of a hill).

imageBy the time I dismounted and headed out for the run, my legs were done, and I knew it! I had given all my effort to keep my pace on the bike that there wasn’t a lot left to give. Needless to say, my run suffered. My pace was much slower than anticipated. The hills were still there too, and my now it was midday, no shade, and the heat was quickly rising! Being in Canada, all the distances were in metric as well. In addition to my exhaustion, I had to play mental math games trying to figure out what mile of my 13.1 I was at.

In the end, I finished. I was a bout an hour off of my goal time, but I finished. My family was there to see me at every leg of the course, which really helped as a pick me up. I imagefinished an Ironman 70.3 on one of the toughest terrains the event offers! I am already anticipating my next one as a redemption, and on a course with a little less elevation climbs!

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The days following were filled with a fun, relaxing vacation with the family sight seeing, kayaking, spotting bear and moose, and just enjoying the wilderness that Muskoka has to offer.

 

Shermanator Triathlon~a report from Cindy

Saturday, averaged 19.3 miles per hour on the bike, and held mimagey own in the run.I practiced my transitions and got that time shaved down as well. I got first place in my age category, 10 minutes ahead of the 2nd place woman. 

For my next race I am signed up for Girls Best Friend Tri at Prairie View Park just 2 weekends away. I need to see how well I can recover this week but I am considering doing the Cereal City Tri next weekend. I will have to see how I feel. Loving this sport!

Tri del Sol

 

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Saturday, Michigan. Despite the name, the sun was hard to find and severe weather rolled in. WSI athletes still had a great time with great results. Check out what our racers had to say about their races.

Matt Wright

I raced the Sprint Aquabike again this year and managed to win the division by 4 minutes. I got a slow start in the water, 750 meters of swimming, and then it was on to the bike course for 13 miles. I started 5minutes behind the sprint tri guys, so I passed a lot of people on the bike course. It was laid out well, marked and marshalled where the turns were. I felt really good on the bike and made up some time. The weather was perfect during my race and I was able to finish with no issue. I had all my gear packed up and then the severe weather rolled in with lightening and the race director had to shut down the race. This is always a great event: well organized, staffed and plenty of volunteers

Dave Goff, Sr.

As always Tri Del Sol Was a great race with beautiful weather! I did the Sprint Duathlon. I had a good bike, but struggled with the last run ended up second in my age group.

 

Peggy Hasse

Tri del Sol  triathlon turned out a 2nd place age group finish for me in the sprint race. Time was around 1:20:ish. I had  a good swim (got to wear wetsuits!) with no problems, fast bike at 22.7, and an 8:31 run pace. Bike course is the bomb, with just enough rollers to keep good speed. The run was challenging being the first tri of the season and pushing the bike a bit. Good weather until the storm rolled in and caused some of the other racers to DNF.

 

Kellie Sparks-Kramer

Tri del Sol was the 1st duathalon of the season for me and it was HOT and HUMID…. I did the sprint { thank God}. I finished up 1:31:35, 2nd in age group and was excited to see a 21.4 mph bike average. I am looking forward to next year.

 

 

Pictured are Peggy (left), Dave (2nd from left), and Kelli (right)
Pictured are Peggy (left), Dave (2nd from left), and Kelli (right)