3D Triathlon Festival East Tawas

May be there, hard to pass up the location to end the year.

I'm strongly considering. Would love to give it a shot. Are there still convenient accommodations left?

I've been signed up for the event since the beginning of the year. I think the event is terrific and there are plenty of activities for the family, during and after the race.

I'm looking forward to it. Hoping to stay healthy to put together a good showing.

Yes, there are some places still open. I will post some names and number tomorrow, when I get to my office. We still have a good variety of lodging, including a couple of places that I wouldn't have recommended a year ago, but have new owners who have gutted and remodeled.

I hope you come. I live here, so I am biased, but I love the location and the course.

I hope to see you here.

These are the lodging choices I recommend, depending on your needs.

Close to Event:

Tawas Bay Beach Resort: Overpriced former Holiday Inn, but it is right on the beach directly adjacent to registration, Swim start, and awards, across the street from finish and transition area. It also has all of the amenities. (989)362-8600.

Bambi Motel: Old, cheap and clean. Everything is older and out of date, but this is where my family stays when they come up to visit, because it is clean and the owners are friendly. It is a couple of blocks from the action, but walking distance.(989)362-4582

Nice cabins with kitchen:

Timberlane resort/Jerry's Marine: The have a variety of cabins, depending on the size of your group. The cabins were remodeled 2 years ago and a nice. They are right on the beach in the bay, a great family place. They are about 2 miles from the action, but there is a lot of parking downtown, so getting around is not an issue. (989)362-8641

Tawas Point State Park: Nice newer cabins with a small kitchenette, not bathroom in the cabin you have to use park bathrooms. Give the camping feel without a trailer.

Hotels and Motels:

Bay Inn: Former Days inn. It is clean and nice indoor pool and continental breakfast. It is in Tawas City and a couple of miles from the action. (989) 362-0088

Crows Nest: Owned by Bay Inn so you get to use there amenities and number.

G's Inn: Older motel which was gutted and remodeled last year and owned by G's pizza. (989) 305-6101

Surfside Motel: Older motel which was gutted and remodeled this year. (989) 362-6915


Edited by JBacarella 2013-08-06 8:26 AM

I have one more housing option. A 1 bedroom house that sleeps 4, full kitchen, full bath literally 1 block from swim start, awards ceremony, finish, transition area and bars. $125.00 per night. It is owned by John Brummler, the owner of Marion's. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]

Thank you for the info. I just finished my first ever Sprint Tri in Sanford this past Saturday. It seems I may have the bug. I was looking for a Sept Tri to continue my training. The Sanford Tri is pretty flat, just wondering how this compares? Also, do the campground cabins allow pets?

Congratulations on your first tri! Be careful they are addicting. The cabins at the state park do allow pets. The cabins are tough to get, so call soon, if you are going to commit. If they are full, then check with Jerry's Marine. The cabins there are nice.

As for the bike course, if you are doing the Sprint, the bike goes out from downtown to Monument. The Sprint turn around is just as you get into the National Forest. There is one hill on the Sprint course and it is just before the turn around. It is a 3 tiered hill about .4 of a mile long and the grade isn't obnoxious. It is a challenge for a new rider, but not overwhelming. The good news is it starts your return with a nice downhill. If you are aggressive, it will slingshot you home. If not then it is a nice break for your legs about halfway through the ride.
The run is flat and shaded. No hills.
If you do come let me know. I try to keep tabs on everyone who comes. Also, if you need anything while you are here, I can give you direction.

Good news for those racing in Tawas. I confirmed the chiropractor will be at the finish line again this year.

I heard that the roads around Tawas are smooth as a baby's butt from repaving. I have also noticed that the roads around where I live that were repaved and had similar qualities recently had been chip sealed. Jim...have you or 3D touched base with the MI DOT to see if chip sealing is on their radar, and if it is if they would hold off until after the event?

Just checkin'. I would love to ride the smooth roads rather than chip sealed ones.

Peace,
~Sam

Sam- You are going to be a happy man next week. It is new asphalt with a 3' paved shoulder from just inside the national forest almost to Lumberman's Monument. The work was all in the national forest, so it was done with Federal money. It was not an MDOT job. It is smooth and fast. All of the gatoring and small potholes are gone. You can fly the last 13 miles back into town. Even though traffic isn't an issue on the bike course, it is nice to have an extra 3 feet when a car does go by.

The only issue I have had on the course was early in the Spring. There was heavy rain the day before and the road going down to Cooke dam had some washout on it. It was gone 2 weeks later, and it the kind of stuff 3D will normally sweep up.
See you next week.
Jim

Fantastic! Medium-long ride tomorrow and then the hay is in the barn!

I will do 40 miles on the course tomorrow, if I see anything worth talking about, I will post it.

Detailed bike course report. I rode 38 miles of the bike course the only section I missed was the "hill" at Old Orchard Park and I didn't go down to Cooke Dam. The new section of road is perfect. It starts at the 2nd tier of the first hill, 5 miles into the course and is 7 miles long. The people doing the oly are going to benefit the most from the new asphalt, and the Sprint people the least.
The worst section of the course is the first section of Monument to the turn at Miner's Grove, about 1 mile. Some gatoring and a couple of small pot holes on the shoulder, nothing that will cause problems.
River road past Cooke Dam has some gatoring on the shoulder, but nothing that will affect the ride.
Overall the course is smooth and fast, you can really open it up on the return from the Monument to East Tawas. It is primarily downhill and has smooth asphalt.

Sounds good. Thanks JB.

On Saturday, the water temp in the bay was 74 degrees.

If anyone saw a 310xt in the water... that was probably mine. =/

Great race! Had a lot of fun despite the weather (and losing my garmin)

It didn't come up in the lost and found. I will tell the harbor master, in case a boater finds it and turns it in.

What did everyone think about the event this year?

Just posted my race report for the event. Since starting 4 years ago, this race is always on my calendar. I was initially disappointed with the swim course change but after the swim and realizing how comfortable it was in the marina and the staggered start, I think all events should start this way. I PR'd by 15 min but still wasn't pleased with my effort but life had other plans during the training season. I didn't stick around for the dinner due to family having plans already setup for my birthday. Only complaint was the girls volunteering at the last aid station on the run. They really didn't want to be there.

Also, any news on the guy who got hit by the car? My wife ran over to help because she thought it was me, then a nurse and others came to his aid. Hope he's Ok. My wife said his eye was bleeding but he knew where he was and what he was doing there. His bike was destroyed.

Can you work on the weather for next year? How was the turn out, my family said it seemed down compared to previous years.

The guy hit by the car is ok. He was discharged from St. Joe's in a couple of hours.
Keeping the swim in the harbor is being considered. I talked to Kenny about it and he has received a lot of positive feedback. The issue is the number of boats in the harbor. I am going to talk to the Harbor Master this week (he's my daughter's math teacher) about it. The boat numbers are low right now, but it is already half booked for next year. If he approves it, we may be a permanent change. I was concerned about it also, but I liked it. My wife and friends who came out loved it.
I always put in an order for good weather, but nature does not always listen. At least we didn't have an event cancelling thunder storm.
Overall the event was down from the last couple of years.