Subject: RE: Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon : Official ThreadChicagoHoosier - 2011-08-08 11:27 AM Does anyone have links or advice for people who are WATCHING the race? My wife will be cheering me on. For her marathons, I've always found decent spectator guides for where/how to watch the athletes. Having trouble finding info for Steelhead on the best way to have her watch me compete. Any advice or sites would be appreciated! My wife has spectated the past two years at Steelhead. She told me that compared to other races, this one was particularly tough for viewing locations. Having said that, here is what she did: Watch the swim from the beach near transition. You'll only see the last few hundred meters of the swim as the course heads down Lake Michigan north/south, but from the beach, spectators can line the sides of the path from the water to transition. After you exit the water, she can watch you in transition out to the bike. The bike: this is the tricky one. The course is one large loop, and most of it is miles away from Jean Klock park. If she's not afraid of driving rural roads and crossing the course several times, your wife can get to the furthest parts of the bike course. But it's not ideal. My wife actually watched from the Whirlpool corporate campus, which is up Rt 63 a few miles north of Jean Klock Park. You can see the racers at approx mile 50 of the bike. The run: if she chooses to watch the last portion of the bike from the Whirpool campus, she'll be positioned well to see you multiple times on the run. Most of the run course is contained within this campus, and if she goes to approx mile marker 5, she can watch the end of the bike as well as the run. The problem with this plan is if she stays to see you on the second loop of the run (approx mile 10), it will be tough to make it back to the park to see you at the finish line. Parking is a bit rough near Jean Klock park. If you'd like her to see you at the finish, tell her to leave the run course after you pass her at mile 5. Hope this helps. Steve |