I’m out of town for both Waterloo and Sylvania. I’m thinking of doing Clark Lake, Craig Greenfield, and/or Stoney Creek. Any feedback – good or bad – on any of these races.
Clark Lake is a great race. My wife loves the T-shirt from 2000 - stole it the day after we got married. …and you know that the T-shirt is really what’s most important about the race! 
Really, though, most of the MGPS races are great. I’ve never done Stoney Creek or Craig Greenfield. Isn’t Craig Greenfield a first year race? If you’re willing to do something new, how about that Howell Aquathlon on July 4?
Clark Lake and Stoney Creek are great events. All the “southern” MGPS races are outstanding and 3D does a great job also. What about August 7th? The new “Shermanator” is a great USAT sanctioned 1.5K/40K/10K event with a very clean swim, rolling terrain bike around Gull Lake, and then run around Sherman Lake.
I give Clark Lake a thumbs up.
The Stoney Creek bike segment is on a 10k loop, so it’s 4 times around for the Oly distance. Good for fans, kind of tedious for the riders. Oh, yeah, and they made the weather too hot there last year.
Clark Lake, Great Lakes and Three Rivers are all great events. The Shermanator II is also well run for only its second year. I still have reservations on 3D events - no officials.
Stoney Creek is a great spectator race. There are 4 laps for the bike course. The course is closed so there is room for everyone, you just have to make sure you can count. The run is around the lake on the bike path, very nice. You might consider Interlochen. It was a great race on a beautiful course.
I think the Interlochen race is good, but deserves a hill caveat. If the run course is the same as last year be sure and drive the run course and look at the turn around hill.
As I recall wasn’t that hill about 10% for around a mile?
Clark Lake is supposed to be great (it is a “must do” race every year for a friend of mine), and has good schwag if you’re in contention for one of the top AG spots (so I hear).
Stony Creek is a good venue for a race. I’ve raced there twice, and while I’ve had crappy races both times, I can’t blame that on the course! I think 3D does a pretty good job of running this race. The start of the bike course tends to be a bit crowded (for probably the first 2 of the 4 laps for the Oly). I don’t know if 3D is doing a better job of getting course marshalls for their races, but last year I was the one and only course “official” on the bike course.
The Craig Greenfield? It’s a new race. The good part is that proceeds go for a good cause, so it’s nice to do a race with a bigger purpose than just doing another race. I wonder about the course, though. The swim is in Deer Lake, but it says the run starts in Depot Park, which I don’t believe is immediately adjacent to Deer Lake (very close, but on the other side of White Lake Rd, which is a fairly busy street). So I have to figure that there are two separate transition areas for T1 and T2. Also, they don’t have any details of the bike course on the website, which makes me think they are still finalizing it. So many of the roads in the Clarkston area are either pretty busy or dirt roads. Maybe there is a good, low traffic, paved route that they are planning, but I can’t picture what that would be.
If you like hills, Three Rivers is a good one (hilly bike and run). Great Lakes has changed venues since I did it, so I can’t say now, but it was a pretty good race then.
Did all of the MGPS 2 yrs ago and they are all good. If you will be around for Hubbard Lake it is a great “retro” race. When you come across the finish line they give you a popcicle stick with your overall place. Best T1 since it is a large step up and you are in transition; non of this running a quarter mile to get to your bike. I have also been impressed w/ 3D’s races.
Clark Lake is a fine race, I’ll be there this year. I’ve done it about 4-5 times I think over the years. Great course, great organization. George- the guy from Pedal and Tour, who puts it on does a fine job.
Hubbard Lake is super cool. You go over a substantial (for Michigan) climb called Mt. Mariah- a ski hill actually. It is quite a climb for a flatlander. Very cool.
Stony Creek is a fine race also and deceptively difficult. What is it about that loop around there that is so hard? It is so hard to carry speed up the back side of that loop.
At any rate, hope to see you there!
Clark Lake was a a very fun race, well run, on a nice course. That was my first triathlon ever last summer. I’d highly recommend it to anyone. My best friend’s dad is trying triathlons for the first time this summer, and I’ve convinced him to do that one. Racing my best friend’s father should be interesting…
I also did Three Rivers last year, and that was also a fun race, although a little more shade on the run would have been nice.
Both were fantastic races though, and I’d recommend both of them. Alas, I can only make it back to MI for one of them though, so Clark Lake gets the nod this summer.
-Steve