I am looking at Case Western Reserve University for medical school, and I was wondering what triathlon training was like in the Cleveland area. Is there good training!?
There is very good training throughout the region. A few Case med students are very good local athletes as well. Check out www.clevetriclub.com/ when you get the chance. It is a very underrated tri community who can hold their own nationally. Good luck with your decision.
You can ride at our new velodrome with the Case cycling team!
The Metroparks have really great trails, both paved and unpaved. Cleveland State University has an un-freakin-believable pool, although I don’t know what hoops “outsiders” have to jump through to use it. I grew up in Geauga County, on the east side, and there are some really great/scenic/non-trafficky areas to go riding. Winter and early spring absolutely suck, so I hope you like the trainer 
That said, summer and fall are gorgeous and you should have no problem! I know nothing about the west side, but you can live in Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Beachwood (anywhere near there) and have a manageable commute to Case and also have access to places like Chagrin Falls and Newbury, which would be awesome for riding. PM me if I can be of any assistance with getting acquainted to the area…I recently finished a 4-year stint in Cleveland while my wife was in residency!
You can contact Mickey Ryzmek ncmultisports@aol.com, he can set you up with some good work outs in the area, he also puts on alot of events and training camps
.
there is actually a very good tri community in cleve
as jimswim said - check out CTC - www.clevetriclub.com the web site is not as up to date as we would like - a project that is being worked on. also join our Facebook community - very active there
The tri club has a relationship with CSU so pool/gym access there is VERY easy
lots of year round activities - PM me if you want more info or a contact
r
As others have said there are some great options. Plus in Ohio there are usually multiple races every weekend from April til Sept. Plenty of great training here in Akron too
I’m an Ohio bike racer, I live about an hour south of Cleveland, closer to Akron, though. I have buddies in the Elyria (west side) and Euclid (east side) areas that have some pretty nice roads to ride.
As others have mentioned, the community is pretty big, with alot of group rides and shops and other resources.
The weather is also not great Dec-March, but I am able to get outside quite a bit with my mountain bike. There are many miles of rail-trail and similar that is maintained by the Metro Parks that are perfect for winter rides.
-Physiojoe
Not to jack the man’s thread, but how about the Columbus, OH area as I will be here come July.
Not to jack the man’s thread, but how about the Columbus, OH area as I will be here come July.
Columbus has events as well, I know more about the bike racing, but there are quite a few races within an hour of columbus. I would assume that means they have a decent selection of shops and group rides.
The Columbus Marathon is pretty big too, so I assume there’s got to be runners around also.
The worst thing in Columbus is probably the terrain- super flat. Although, I hear there are hills somewhere outside of town.
-Physiojoe
I think it’s a great place to train. Case has a very nice pool with tons of open swim blocks throughout the week. And when the weather warms up, you can head to Lake Erie for some open water swim practice. For open water, I head to Edgewater park on the near west side - because it has life guards and is only a 20 minute drive away.
As far as running, my go-to spot is Lakeview Cemetary - which is an enormous enclosed cemetary about 4 blocks from Case. You have to see it to believe it. It’s gorgeous (reminds me of Central Park, without the people), has some spectacular hills, and you won’t ever need to worry about stopping for cars. Another great running option is the Shaker Lakes, which is about a mile from Case and is also very scenic and very nice.
For biking, you’ll want to head east past the Shaker Lakes, out Shaker Blvd or Gates Mill Blvd. Once you get about 5 miles out from Case, it starts to clear up traffic wise and becomes very scenic. There are some wonderful hills about 10 miles out - which you’ll hit if you take out Shaker Blvd, Gates Mill Blvd or Fairmount Blvd. You will find tons of cyclists riding out there, and it’s an extremely nice place to ride.
This is also a great area for triathlons. HFP Racing puts on events throughout the summer that are very inexpensive and held at extremely beautiful locations. All in all, I’m very happy training and racing here in Northeast Ohio. I have absolutley everything I could want or need.
I went to Case for my MD and PhD. It was in Cleveland that I fell in love with cycling and triathlon. The Cleveland Triathlon Club is a great community of multisport athletes. The East side is great for cycling. There are an abundance of triathlons and running races in the area. Cleveland State University downtown has an excellent masters group that meets most mornings.
The school is ok too…
Jodi
Columbus has a great outdoor sports scene period. There are many Tri’s, Marathons, and races of all types. As far as being flat, the city and surrounding areas are very flat but within half an hour to an hour drive or ride you can find alot of different and challenging terrain.
I think it’s a great place to train. Case has a very nice pool with tons of open swim blocks throughout the week. And when the weather warms up, you can head to Lake Erie for some open water swim practice. For open water, I head to Edgewater park on the near west side - because it has life guards and is only a 20 minute drive away.
As far as running, my go-to spot is Lakeview Cemetary - which is an enormous enclosed cemetary about 4 blocks from Case. You have to see it to believe it. It’s gorgeous (reminds me of Central Park, without the people), has some spectacular hills, and you won’t ever need to worry about stopping for cars. Another great running option is the Shaker Lakes, which is about a mile from Case and is also very scenic and very nice.
For biking, you’ll want to head east past the Shaker Lakes, out Shaker Blvd or Gates Mill Blvd. Once you get about 5 miles out from Case, it starts to clear up traffic wise and becomes very scenic. There are some wonderful hills about 10 miles out - which you’ll hit if you take out Shaker Blvd, Gates Mill Blvd or Fairmount Blvd. You will find tons of cyclists riding out there, and it’s an extremely nice place to ride.
This is also a great area for triathlons. HFP Racing puts on events throughout the summer that are very inexpensive and held at extremely beautiful locations. All in all, I’m very happy training and racing here in Northeast Ohio. I have absolutley everything I could want or need.
^^^This
For biking, head East through Shaker and over around Chagrin Falls (beautiful country roads).
Cleveland is more of a six months on, six months off racing scene due to the weather (vs. California where there are big 70.3s as early as March). Most swims are wetsuit optional (typically low 70s).
+1 on HFP races.
Thanks for the advice guys and gals. You’ve certainly assuaged my biggest fears.
What are the drivers like? Are they respectful of cyclists? How dangerous is it riding around there?
Metroparks are where you can ride your bike. Endless paved roads, no trucks allowed and a max speed limit of 30 MPH. On Saturdays / Sundays in the am I can do like 50 miles and see 4 cars…
Masters swimming at Cleveland State University - 100 meter pool and nice people…
What are the drivers like? Are they respectful of cyclists? How dangerous is it riding around there?
Depends where/when you are. There are roads I won’t ride on weeknights anytime around rush hour, but I’ve never had trouble getting to roads that are pleasant to train on. I can’t think of anyplace that isn’t a <15 minute ride from pretty solid training roads either.
I feel the need to chime in. There are more than enough pools, training groups, and road to get some serious training in. The best part is that all the triathletes cross over teams, sports, clubs, and areas. Just buy your tubes in bulk. There may be a pothole or two. Here is a bonus, they like to ride so much that there’s even repair spots in the back of breweries .