Amazingly well run race.

If it’s the same course I did a few years ago:
- swim is hard to sight/navigate. Find feet!
- bike road in the first/last section isn’t great. It gets better. Someone might cut you off turning into a church parking lot. Expect to have some issues with cars on the way back in because the road isn’t closed. Not bad, but they may be on the course and going slower than you’d like behind some of the slower sprint athletes. I remember cross winds being bad one year but not awful. Also remember 2 years in a row of a bit of rain, but not bad on that course because it’s not particularly technical.
- run: the little bonus uphill is a bit painful but it’s short. Overall, hills on the run aren’t bad.

I am one of the race directors so I thought I'd jump in...

The bike course is relatively flat with some rolling hills once you get east of Saranac (first aid station). I know I was a bit surprised by them the first time I raced here as I had always been told it was a flat course. Wind is hit and miss, although I've ridden the course many times and I still find myself impressed with what great shape I'm in heading out... until I turn around and realize there was a tailwind! There are some false flats coming back on Grand River so watch your effort. Much of the course has been repaved in the past couple of years, including the worst sections along Grand River Drive and Clarksville Road. I would say this is the best shape the course has been in for years.

The run has one decent sized hill you will need to do twice and second hill off of Shagbark since you are doing the half. Aid stations should be well stocked but it might look a little different as you will need to get the food/hydration yourself (volunteers will be filling cups, etc and setting them on a table rather than handing them to athletes).

The swim will be a time trial start this year and we are asking people to seed themselves appropriately (there will be signs for different paces). I know a lot of slower swimmers like to get in the water as early as possible, but that's going to make for a rough day (no idea if that applies to you, more of a public service announcement). If everyone seeds themselves correctly contact is minimal. Oh, tinted goggles are a great idea as the second half of the swim is usually into the sun.

I think that answered your specific questions along with a bit of additional info (I can talk about this stuff all day). Feel free to drop me a line with any questions or concerns.

Awesome, thanks for the color. Coming up from TN, was hoping for a nice cool midwestern race, but looks like it could get a little spicy towards the end!

The road, especially the back side near the turnaround used to be rough. I heard they have paved some of the roughest sections in the past year. Should be pretty good road conditions this year.
I hope you enjoy your time in West MI.

can anyone speak to their experience this last weekend at GR? I am considering it as a race for next year and hoping folks have info they are willing to share.

Thanks!

I’m a bit biased (RD) but the overall response to this year has been nothing short of outstanding, especially when you consider all of the changes we implemented. If you search Grand Rapids Triathlon Athlete Forum on FB you should find a wealth of athletes willing to chime in.

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

I’ve raced it twice, 19 and last weekend.

Wow, road was redone at the turnaround, what a relief. It was really bad.

Great organization, the 2 day event made less of a crowd and was nice. Downside was my friend raced Saturday and I did the half Sunday…..2 really early wake up days.

Only downside, for me, was the half mile run to T1. I ended up leaving shoes at the river due to PF issues.

What questions do you have?

I’ve done it every year they’ve had it (10 years now). I loved the new setup, although swim start was slow. They need to rent a ramp and create a larger exit. That small boat ramp doesn’t work well.

This is one of the best courses I’ve raced. The swim is perfect, although the sun can create issues. I do wish they offered better swim warmup.

The bike is flat and fast. Wind is a factor. Roads are fine. You will get 1-2 asshole car drivers but that’s about it. Low traffic so it’s safe.

The run is awesome. Nice hill to keep you honest. Plenty of aid stations.

This is one of the best run events I’ve done.

My biggest gripe is the packet pickup. It’s a slow process.

This is suppose to be my last year doing triathlons, however GR tri put the bug back into me. It's such a 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.

Was just looking for general responses to their experience. No race is perfect, but if people are satisfied overall thats a good signa nd it seems that way.

My only question is about the open roads for traffic. For the 70.3, do cyclists have to watch for cross traffic cars (ie stop at stop sign/lights)? Or is it more about cars traveling on the same road as rider?

I've never had to stop for cars. There was always volunteers or police at major intersections. Only a handful of cars will pass you. It's really a remote area. If you're out on the bike a LONG TIME you may start to run into traffic.

I don't think you will hear anyone say anything truly negative about this race. Like you said, no race is perfect, but this one does come close. The only thing I worry about with this race is the weather. It rains a lot. I think the last four races had rain. This year it hit the Saturday Sprint racers and spared the Oly+ racers. One year it was a freaking downpour but then cleared up to terribly muggy humid weather. It was like mother nature was trying to kill you.

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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.

Well, I have to caveat my review with the fact that I was a mechanical DNF. 15 years of riding bikes and had my first chain break on me, and it took out the derailleur with it. Sorry to the RD in this thread...I turned in my chip and ran the run course bibless, ran around the chute at the end.

That being said, the race was run amazingly well. Organized, intersections (that I saw) properly manned, great aid stations. Fair run course that makes you work, but isn't stupid hard.

Swim: The slippery ramp wasn't ideal, but worked fine. Lots of sun on the way back but thats the sport.

Bike: Fast and rolling. Road quality is good to moderate. Not deteriorated or many potholes, but some sections that bring the "ca-chunk, ca-chunk". a good amount of newer pavement. Low traffic (from my wife's POV)

Run: Fair difficulty and a decent amount of shade, but it did get hot.. 70.3 had a longer hill and one punchy one to keep you honest on each loop. small section of soft dirt trail that I wasn't a fan of but its probably less than a half mile total. Most people had it about 12.9-12.95 miles.

Glad you had a good experience! I did the Olympic aquabike (Steelhead prep) and really enjoyed it. It was also my first time doing the race.

The bike was faster than I was expecting. Did we have a tailwind coming back?

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team