OK, the season is winding down, and I hope everyone's had an outstanding 2007. Many of us had great experiences racing and have found new and better races, places to train, or even eat post-race.
To that end, I'm curious as to what races, training venues, etc are the "Best of Michigan". I'll start with a couple of my favorites, and why:
- Best Half Marathon - Martian Half, April, Detroit area, on Hines Drive. Laid-back, fun, we ran it this year in costume. Great tune up on Hines Drive for early season running.
- Best Cycling Training Venue - Kensington Metropark. Uber-hilly, fairly technical, requires handling skills, minimal traffic, lots of other cyclists. If you can ride Kensington, you can handle any hills in the midwest. Stony Creek Metropark is a close second.
- Best OWS training Venue - Trout Lake, in Island Lake Rec Area (near kensington). Open water, beach access, no motorboats, shallow and sparkling clear water, warm water (very shallow lake), and not much chop - perfect for beginner swimmers, first OWS, sighting, and drafting practice.
With all that being said, does anyone have any nominations for:
- Best try-a-tri for kids
- Best Sprint Tri
- Best Oly Tri
- Best HIM
- Best Marathon
- Best Half-Mary
- Best 10K
- Best training venue - running
- Best training venue - cycling
- Best training venue - swimming
- Best hilly training ride
- Best race organizer
- Best race schwag
- Best kids race
- Best race destination / family weekend
- Other, any other?
Let the best (or worst, if you feel compelled) begin...post away...