Josh here; we headed to the UP for our normal September trip but this year we went a touch earlier which meant we were in the Pictured Rocks area while the Grand Marais Tri was going on. I’ve been doing a fair amount of Duathlons but decided this would be my first full Tri. Being a sprint, it was a good first choice and I hoped the work I have been doing in the pool pay off.
The only rough part about this tri is the swim split is in Lake Superior. BRRRRR is correct! The temp was somewhere between 58 and 60 degrees but swimming everyday during our trip prior to the race really helped take the shock value out of it. The race began and the 300
yard swim didn’t take too long to complete but I was sure ready to be back on land running up the hill. I came out somewhere around 10th to 12th overall and not wearing a wetsuit paid off as I passed at least three in transition (and I never saw them again). I was ready to get on my rocket and start hitting the hilly terrain in the beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This was definitely the nicest bike route in a race I’ve ever enjoyed!
I passed a few more on the bike and entered the run split in 5th overall. I estimate running around a 23min 5K and with no one catching me, I ended 5th overall and first in my age group. I am very pleased with my first full tri and will likely do more in the future. This would be my last official race of the season, however I’m looking forward to the Battle Creek Corporate Cup time predict ride. I treat this like a time trial and go all out. This year, Devin and I will be riding this together as a mini team TT working together. It should be an absolute blast…
-Josh Haas