IMO mostly the explosion of events close to Detroit hurt these races in the boonies. We no longer have to drive 3 hours to get to a race! I personally like that. The Hubbard Lake tri died a few years ago, it was basically too far for most people to get to without being a destination race (where you can do something else fun to do).
It is incredible how many races there are to choose from in Michigan…it’s great but I don’t expect it to last because I suspect they’re all cannibalizing each other and none of the RD’s are making any real money (except for maybe Running Fit…they’re supposed to have 500+ at the race tonight…on a WEDNESDAY!).
Poor Kenny at 3D…I think his intentions are good…to have lots of well-run affordable events. But that $5 he saves us might be the difference between that extra staffer that might make things run more smoothly and better food. IMO he should tack on the extra $5. His races are getting smaller and smaller…often fewer than 150 in the entire field. I don’t think it’s much fun to go out and race a course basically alone for $50. I can train like that every day for free. I have also occassionally read his blog and it sounds like he’s working hard at this…and if he’s even half as sick as he claims, it would drive most of us absolutely crazy.
Last random thought: where did the MI Triathlon Championships designation come from? Who says it’s the championship for the state? Just curious.