It has been wetsuit legal every year. It's conceivable that with the right combination of a heat wave and wind direction it could be a non-wetsuit swim, but I think it's really unlikely. One of these years the lake is going to "flip" at the wrong time and water temps could be below 50.

Always...as in, when they do have a swim, it always is. There have been a few years that the swim was canceled, moved or modified due to conditions, but if they have it, Lake Michigan almost assures a wet suit swim. I just signed up; I've done it a few times, and looking forward to returning. Good luck!

The water can be warm and often is (I think the surface temp was 72-74 the one year I did that race) but, there is no way any triathlon official is going to get a temp measurement over 78 degrees in Lake Michigan. Way too many ways to game this so it comes up wetsuit legal . . . . It would take a perfect day, and a very shallow thermometer, to see that warm a temp.

The scary part, as mentioned above, is that you can see some wild temperature swings as the winds move a lot water around in the Lake Michigan which can bring up some seriously cold water from the depths if they are from the wrong direction. The year I did Steelhead, the water was 58 for a week before the race than flipped almost overnight into the 70's.

I'll echo what the others above said. One of my favorite races too fwiw.

Thanks all, just signed up and will be my first time.
Any tips/info about the area and course greatly appreciated.
Thanks again.
Bill

Parking is a bit slim near transition so I suggest either having someone dropping you off or get there early. Last year I stayed at the Inn at Harbor Shores. A bit pricey but it's a nice hotel and pretty close to transition.

Can we quit this hating please? As I'm sure z is going to chime in here soon, it's only been cancelled twice in the 10+ years of the race. But yes, let's be honest, he's been in the game long enough, he knows where to put the thermometer in the water to get a reading that makes the swim wetsuit legal.

Isn't the WTC Wetsuit Temp cutoff 76°?

Hating? Far from it. Tom is a good friend of mine, and I enjoy every race he is involved with. Just stating a line of fact that covers this event since it's inception, and prior to it becoming a WTC branded event. It has been modified for safety reasons, cancelled as you correctly call out, and moved due to current. That is why I LOVE Steelhead. The unpredictability of the swim indicates that it is a race where the swim does count for something; it takes a somewhat higher level of swim ability to have a solid time. I'm signed up and look forward to a challenging swim. Plus, the bike and run are awesome too. See you there!

Yeah it gets old that people bring up the swim cancellation. It's like having a girlfriend that reminds you of what you did wrong 10 years ago.

I can't imagine a situation where the water temp is about 76. Like someone else has mentioned the water temps can vary 15-20 degrees overnight. I believe that happened at Grand Haven Triathlon. I've also had it in my practice swims. On Monday it's 70+ degrees, the next day 50 degrees.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

I miss starting the race from the pier. That was awesome!

If it's going to be a wetsuit swim, I hope it's super cold with big waves, but not so big that they cancel the swim. ;-)

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/06/why_lake_michigan_is_the_most.html


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In 2006 the water temp was 80 but somehow it was wetsuit legal.

i'll be up there in august for my second crack at this race. the course is great- i loved swimming in lake michigan (although it was tough). the bike course is scenic and mostly flat with a few rollers and false flats. be prepared for a lot of 90* turns. saw a lot of people wipe out going too fast around them. the run was a good mix of hills (3 big ones), sun and shade. i was really impressed by the enthusiastic volunteers supporting the run.

don't know how many 70.3s you've done, but this is definitely a PR course on the right day. the best part is being able to relax on the beautiful beach afterwards. best of luck!

I really enjoyed the course also, but was frustrated when I see hoards of people crossing the double yellow to avoid the rumble strips. They won't kill you guys. Although, since I hit them straight on and didn't slow to bypass them I picked up a lot of time and was able to time it right to slingshot past the people who were slowing to avoid them.

Great to hear you are coming back to Steelhead again this year. We are looking forward to another great race. This will be year # 13 for Steelhead! We have three-four guys that have done all 13 races! See you in August! Z

Planning on for the first time, looking forward to it! Just missed the price increase, wondering if it ever sells out or if I can wait a while.

I don't think it's ever sold out. Fantastic race.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

Cool, thanks! If no price difference always like to hold off make sure I remain injury free...

For those interested in water temps & wave heights near Benton Harbor...

http://greatlakesbuoys.org/...ge.php?station=45026

Will not sell out, but we will shut down on-line registration on Monday of race week. Athletes can then only sign up at the race site on Friday or Saturday. Z

Hi Tom,
You are signing the National Anthem at the start right?
That alone is almost worth the price of the entry fee.
See you on Aug 9th!

Planning to sign up as soon as I can figure out what time I can get my bike out of transition at AG Nats on Saturday and over to Benton Harbor. Always wanted to do this race!

Yes! Have done it every year! See you at Jean Klock Park! Z

Sign up for the race! You can bring your bike into the transition on race morning! Z