Running the Bayshore Marathon
By MIKE NORTON
This past weekend was a wonderful time to enjoy the beauty of Traverse City’s millions of blooming cherry trees (see previous post) and with luck they’ll still be blossoming next weekend when several thousand runners descend on us for the 26th Annual Bayshore Marathon.
This is an annual spring run up the east shore of the Old Mission Peninsula - one of the world’s most beautiful marathon settings. In addition to the main event, there are half-marathon and 10k runs also offered. Last time I heard, the main race had already met its limit of 1,700 runners and the half-marathon had already been filled at 1,500 runners, while the 10K run had more than 1,200 signed up and still counting. That could be a record.
Why so many runners? Well, partly it’s just that beautiful course – with East Bay glittering away on one side and all those lovely shoreline homes and cherry orchards (hopefully, still in bloom) on the other. And partly it’s because it’s the perfect time of year for a run – still cool, with the air fresh and clean. I’m not a runner myself – the bicycle is as tough as I get – but as a Peninsula resident I always enjoy seeing other people having a chance to experience the beauty of my township.
The marathon is put on each year by the Traverse City Track Club, with sponsorship from the Traverse City State Bank Bayshore Marathon, and the proceeds from race registrations go to fund other running and health-related activities in the community.
In other fitness-related news, the Meyers brothers – who started the kiteboarding craze here in northern Michigan a half-dozen years ago — have come up with something they’re calling the M-22 Challenge. It’s going to be a massive biking, paddling and running event on the nearby Leelanau Peninsula on June 20, and it promises to be every bit as scenic (and a good deal more grueling) than the Bayshore Marathon.
Beginning with a 16-mile bike race around Big and Little Glen Lake, competitors in the Challenge will cover a stretch along M-22 and pass Inspiration Point before taking to the water, where they’ll use any paddle-propelled watercraft they can find — kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, surf-skis, or canoes – to get to the last event: a two-mile run that will include a steep uphill race up the Dune Climb at the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
All participants must register online at www.m22challenge.com to compete. Course maps and details are also available on the website.
Sounds interesting, but all in all, I’d rather be a spectator!
