Anyone know of a Half (or longer) race in the Yupper? Porcupine Mountain seems perfect (swim in Superior)…tried a quick search and did not find anything…that place could easily give IMLP or Wildflower a run for their money on scenery.
Oh…UP Michigan.
Water is CRYSTAL clear and plenty of it. Park has plenty of nice roads, hotels, camping and everything needed.
That would be some mighty cold water! I guess I’m guaranteed the use of my wetsuit 
Very pretty country up there.
ain’t that place the one with them big assed flys…
I don’t know aout the fly’s, but the native women aren’t…“petite”. Must be the cold winters???
Not UP, but Ashland, WI has a nice half marathon and marathon this fall.
Whistlestop Marathon:
I see you already caught your terminology error, but “U.P.” = location (upper peninsula) and “Yooper” = a person from the U.P.
The lake presents a lot of potential problems, not just that it might be cold. Depending on a whole bunch of environmental factors, it could be low 70s one day and high 40s the next. Many of the beaches have a very gradual drop-off, which could allow 200+ m of porpoising by the participants. And, you could always end up with 5+ ft waves. This is comparatively worse than an ocean swim because the water is not as buoyant… it’s pretty difficult to battle or take advantage of the freshwater waves, about impossible to body surf. On a nice day, it could be essentially perfect: warm, but not too warm; nice, solid, sandy, safe bottom; light waves; great visibility.
I’m thinking more like M-28 between Marquette and Munising. Beautiful highway adjacent to the lake, and Marquette has at least some of the city stuff that you’d want for your athletes. It has a D-II college and fair bars. Munising has the Pictured Rocks national lakeshore.
Maybe here, with a backup plan of Deer Lake swim if Superior is too cold or rough (zoom in, location is already centered): http://maps.yahoo.com/...zoom=17&q1=49855
We were just there for a bit (no electricity, running water, heat…) The water was just perfect, about the same temps as Mirror Lake in LP. The roads could not get any better and the park is just awesome (only dont book “Lily Pond” cabin as it is a 12 mile drive, then a 3+ mile hike)
Major road construction on M28 this summer but it should be done soon. A tough climate - I ran in a Regional Track Meet in High School on May 31st in a snowstorm. You can’t miss this if close to the town I grew up in - Ishpeming.
There is a semi-oly distance race at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula called the Copperman - I did it a couple of years ago .5 mile /20 mile /5 mile. I swore I’d never go back after I got run over IN transistion by a person on their bike (legal at that race) and then got passed by the peloton(s) on the bike ride. However, the scenery was 2nd to none.
I went to college at Michigan Tech, so I’m familiar with the area.
I went to college at Michigan Tech, so I’m familiar with the area.
Likewise although a few years before you I’d bet. Have you done the Color Tour 200 km ?? I did it in '99 IIRC - 42F at the start and 42F at the finish with snow flurries plus 25 mph winds coming off Lake Superior in early October.
They could play Gordon Lightfoot’s music before the start of the race to get everybody all pumped up.
chris
No, I haven’t done that ride. I do have fond memories of my college graduation in mid May though, it snowed 6" the night before then topped out in the low 70’s by that afternoon. My parents were camping that weekend and expecting good weather. I must admit that when I was going to school, I was more concerned with hunting, fishing and drinking than going to class or the whole swim/bike/run thing.
The swim for the Copperman is not in Lake Superior, but rather inland about 200 yards in a lake whose name I can’t remember right now. The water was still frigid.
I remember fishing in the bay near L’anse for Lake Trout, and the fish finder’s temperature gauge said the water was 32.8 degrees…and that was the last week in May IIRC.
Aaaahhhh…Michigan Tech. I played against Michigan Tech in football when I went to Winona State. We played up at MT, very beautiful country!
Not quite a Yooper race but the Breakwater Triathlon in Petoskey, MI is on the Northern Tip of the Mitten and is a pretty good HIM distance race. IMHO worth the trip down south for the U.P. folks, although the U.P. does have some beautiful places to ride and run, Lake Superior can kick up pretty nasty surf at a moments notice.
Aaaahhhh…Michigan Tech. I played against Michigan Tech in football when I went to Winona State. We played up at MT, very beautiful country!
I played basketball against Winona State when I went to Michigan Tech - both in the old and new gym in Winona so that dates me fairly well. For some reason we played in the NIC which was all Minnesota schools - made for some long and cold weekend trips to the land of 10,000 lakes. Interestingly I met another rider who is from Winona State and was a swimmer there. The Warriors have had some outstanding basketball teams in the past few years.
Fanny Hoe
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Definitely would be a beautiful place. I currently live in the Keweenaw (go to school at Michigan Tech) and have been contemplating organizing a half ironman event after I graduate, but I don’t have time or money to front such a venture. It has been discussed by others though. I will let ST know if anything comes about.
I was also thinking it would be an incredible place for an ultra marathon.
It could be even better than IMLP and Wildflower in that it is so stinking cheap to vacation here. $50/night at a hotel, or to have a cabin in Copper Harbor.
Want to make one happen? - I have everything needed. Let me know.
Chip Griffen
Race Director
Rockman Triathlon Series
RaceDirector@Rockmantri.com
Tracy and I may go back up to the Porkies in a couple weeks for the fall colors.
Ha, not every day I see MTU (or L’anse!) mentioned on ST! Class of 93 here.
Just about anywhere in the UP would be a beautiful place for a HIM. If I believed in global warming, I’d buy land up there.
But for reasons already mentioned, I think swimming in Lake Superior could be a problem more often than not. If you can figure that out, I think it’d be a winner.