Triathlon Across the USA: State #21 – Michigan
Iron Mountain, Michigan; June 29, 2014—Northern Lights YMCA UP Northwoods Triathlon, Lake Antoine County Park
Thanks to an 1835-36 dispute over a narrow strip of land in what is now northern Ohio, our trip to the Michigan triathlon was much shorter than it could have been.
Before you leave, let me explain.
The dispute, known as the Toledo War, led to the eventual granting of the Upper Peninsula, or UP, to Michigan instead of Wisconsin.
The result? We could race on the western side of Lake Michigan while still being in the state of Michigan, most of which is on the eastern side.
Getting to the Michigan Triathlon
Since we were traveling to northern Michigan for the triathlon, we decided to visit Joy’s cousin, Linda and her husband, Tom, outside Ironwood, Michigan. We arrived late Friday afternoon following a leisurely drive along the southern end of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin.
After breakfast in Ironwood the next morning, Tom and Linda took us to some of their favorites sites. This included the Copper Peak ski flying jump and Black River Harbor, where, as forecast, swarms of black flies chased us.
Later that morning, we made the journey to Iron Mountain, continuing to soak in the laid back feeling of the area.
After a late lunch and a drive through this town of a little over 7,000 residents, we checked into our hotel. Before picking up the race packet at Lake Antoine Park later in the afternoon, we drove the bike course, one of our typical pre-race rituals.
4th Annual UP Northwoods Triathlon
About 70 triathletes gathered at Lake Antoine Park for the Northern Lights YMCA UP Northwoods Sprint Triathlon.
Distances for the individual legs of this sprint triathlon were:
- Swim: 0.31 mile (500 m)
- Bike: 17 mile (27 km)
- Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)
Swim
The 500 meter swim for this triathlon occurred in Lake Antoine, a clean, shallow lake with a silty bottom perfect for the park, campground, and cabins that surround it. The water was also cool enough to make me glad to be wearing a wetsuit.
I was assigned to the first wave of ten swimmers. With a fast start, I found myself alone and apparently leading the wave.
The previous months of swim training were paying off. I was entering a whole new level in my triathlon racing and could even see myself first out of the water.
About that time, a young lady on a stand-up paddleboard woke me from my dream. She yelled down to tell me I was off-course. Instead of keeping ‘the buoys on my left’, I was swimming on the left side of the buoys.
Now back in the real-world, I rejoined the wave realizing that I was not in the lead.
One good thing about triathlon is that it keeps one humble.
Bike
Fortunately, the light rain had stopped by the time I came out of the water. The roads were essentially dry as we headed onto the bike course.
We exited the park to the left following Lake Antoine along its southern edge, eventually merging onto Lake Antoine Road.
At the split, where Lake Antoine Road turns into the park, we continued straight, onto Upper Pine Creek Drive and the first hills of the course.
Somewhere within the next 2-3 miles, I experienced another ‘Race First’ – braking for a couple of deer crossing the road in front of me.
I was never close enough to collide with the curious, young animals. However, that could have changed had they been spooked and decided to return to their original side of the road. Better safe than sorry.
After another mile or two, this road made a right angle turn. We were now on an even more hilly portion (see the picture above). We turned onto US Highway 2, traveling on its shoulder for 1-2 miles before exiting onto Lake Antoine Road. From here, we headed back to the transition area.
Run
A portion of the ‘out-and-back’ run course included roads within the campground of Lake Antoine Park. Several campers enjoyed their morning coffee while cheering on the triathletes.
The run eventually exited the park to the south following the same road around Lake Antoine we had biked earlier. At the midpoint of the 5 km run, we turned around and returned to the finish line along the same path.
After the Michigan Triathlon
We had plans for dinner at our Minnesota home with family that evening so left almost immediately after the race. Following a shower at the hotel, we set out on our six-hour trip home.
Race First’s
- First race in which I braked for deer crossing the road.
- I wore my race number belt under my wetsuit for the first time in this race. This saved me a few seconds in transition since I did not need to put the race number belt on before climbing onto the bike.
Leave Your Questions and Comments Below
What has been a lesson for triathlon training or racing that you recently learned?
Have you encountered any animals (like deer in this story) during a triathlon?
Please share your comments below.
