My running coach has been invited to join the Hansons-Brooks Project running team in Rochester, Michigan. Her husband is an elite triathlete who is planning on going pro. Their only hestitation is the unknown. They have lived in Wisconsin for a number of years and are unfamiliar with the triathlon scene around Detroit.
Can anyone give me some insight to share with them? Any clubs, teams, training groups, etc. in that area?
Thanks.
I don’t know about training groups in that area, I’m north of there. But racing is great, in michigan you can race every weekend from the end of March until end of Oct. You have Bikesport in Dearborn just outside Detroit for a good shop[ and the re are dozens of races in northern ohiop that are also accesible.
Unless that course was short last Sunday dude is scary fast!!
"Her husband is an elite triathlete who is planning on going pro. "
First off, tell your coach congratulations on making the Hanson’s team, there are some smoking fast runners there.
There are a number of clubs and teams around, as well as casual training groups. FAST, the TriKats, Team Cadence, Team Mongo.
As mentioned there are a ton of races within a couple hours drive.
Plenty of training routes, although there isn’t a ton of true climbing around. Great rides out to Fenton, Milford, Brighton, Ann Arbor. Hines Drive if you want a closed road.
There are a number of Roadie rides also, the Wolverines put on some great ones. There are a number of straight TT’s during the summer also.
There are great mountain bike trails in the area, as well as races.
And don’t forget cyclocross in the fall/winter.
Only issue with the Tri-scene is the economy. A lot of races that usually sell out currently are not. Pretty good area for everything just pick a good location to live so you can access some of the nicer bike routes.
This is a vibrant area for triathlon activity with many fine events and active clubs.
There are two big race production companies, 3 Disciplines and Elite Endeavors, both host a number of excellent events in the area. There are multiple races every weekend. This past weekend we had the largest attendance ever at the Waterloo triathlon. Also, the Ford 70.3 Whirlpool Steelhead Triathlon is the largest event in the state, a truly world-class event with top professionals (big announcement coming on that) and this year- their biggest field ever at around 2000 athletes. We’re also close to three major Ironman Triathlons; The Ford Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon, The Ford Ironman Lake Placid Triathlon and the new Ironman Lousiville. Dearborn, Michigan is home to Ford Motor Company, title sponsor of the Ironman North America Series. We may build cars and trucks here, but we also make Iron(wo)men here too, in incredible numbers.
For clubs we have the Ann Arbor Triathlon Club, a long time and established club of fine athletes supported by some excellent sponsors. There is also the powerhouse Ford Athletic Swim and Triathlon Team (F.A.S.T.) with a great network of athletes and excellent organized workouts including a great swim program at Schoolcraft College and organized training camps by dedicated members like Ken Gutowski, Sandy and JOhn Logan and others. This is an excellent club.
There are some very good stores with a triathlon bias as well. Cadence Cycles has established a reputation as a highly credible, knowledgable triathlon specialty store with a staff who is involved in and gives back to the sport. Two Wheel Tango in Ann Arbor has just opened a new, showcase store in Ann Arbor and another new store is opening in Ann Arbor this weekend called Ride Boutique. All these guys are good. A few new guys are entering the triathlon market and coming on board quickly as credible retailers as the sport continues to grow.
There are a lot of opportunities for triathletes in the area across the spectrum of the sport and industry- and your interst typifies that growth. Welcome on board! See on the roads!
whoa!
here’s hoping she can go sub 32:00 for 10K 
plenty of nice areas to locate and no shortage of training spots or races within easy drive time.
As noted there is plenty of tri action here. I would think though that for an aspiring pro, even more important is that SE Michigan has a pretty vibrant elite amateur sports scene. The Hanson’s program has brought an number of elite runners to the area. The Wolverine cycling club has produced several Olympic medalists and many pros. About 1/3 of the entire US Olympic swim team in 2008 will likely come from Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor. All this does filter down so its not hard to find high level coaching and training opportunities in the individual sports.
While all the Michigan Chamber of Commerce stuff is great the economy of Southeastern Michigan should be a cause for hesitation. We can dance around it all we want. While I like to believe it’s improving (things are good here in Western Michigan). There are parts of the state that are having a tough time. It’s just the reality of living here in the Mit.
Dan
I grew up in Rochester Hills. It’s an amazing city. There’s a nice mix of people (ages, families, professions, etc) and Hansons is one of the best. I have a brother that is an elite marathoner and wishes he had Hanson’s in Chicago where he lives. The city is very biker friendly. There are trails (paved and dirt) everywhere that are pretty well maintained year round. This is also the Great Lake State, so there’s lots of places to swim. And as everyone mentioned, there are many races to choose from in all three dicsiplines that you don’t have to travel too far for. I’m sure you’re coach is going to love it here!
SE Michigan is not currently a great place to move to if you’re trying to find a job working on an auto assembly line. But, if you can run really fast, the Hanson brothers will give you a job w/ benefits, a place to live and time to train. Not many places in the US can beat that!
on top of all the things people already said about the Detroit scene,
Right across the river in the Windsor (Canada) area there is a good multisport scene with some great races (multisport and running), and alot of athletes.
I used to live in Rochester Hills and saw the Hanson studs running quite frequently - amazing group of runners. Now in terms of the area I have a somewhat different perspective then the locals chiming in. I thought Rochester was a nice commnity with good schools, low crime, and Oakland University nearby so a great place to raise a family. However, from a triathlon point of view I thought it sucked. The main exception would be the Paint Creek Trail through Rochester that was great for long runs (even in the snow). The bike routes away from Rochester would appear to be good but I was harrassed on virtually every single ride from cans, bottles, swerving to having some redneck open his door and launch me into ditch - of course good biking weather only lasts for about 3 months so get a Computrainer. If you join the Oakland University Alumi club you can swim in their pool which is really nice and there was a Lifetime Fitness with a lap pool as well. Oakland also had a fledgling tri club run by students which may still be around. Coming from Wisconsin winter weather may not be an issue for you but a big negative for me. The economy is horrible right now and I heard you can’t give a way a nice house so should be a buyers market. I did group rides with a group called Wolverine Sports Club and they had some decent rides in the area. There are many other clubs in other communities as mentioned by others but not convenient to Rochester. I thought all the bike shops were lousy including the one in Dearborn. Ann Arbor and other points south may be much better for riding but a pain to get to from up north.