Chicago Triathlon

Submitted by jlinwood on Thu, 2011-10-06 22:39

Chicago has a vibrant triathlon scene centered on the Chicago Triathlon race in August - one of the largest triathlons in the country. The local Ironman is really Ironman Wisconsin up in Madison, though it's not that far to the similar in time frame Ironman Kentucky in Louisville.

Where can I get a triathlon/duathlon event schedule?: 

The Chicago Tri Club keeps a race calendar here: http://www.chicagotriclub.com/atraces/RaceList.aspx?sMode=1

Chicago Swimming

Submitted by jlinwood on Tue, 2011-10-04 12:37

For triathletes, Chicago's lakefront offers the ultimate open water swim - Lake Michigan. Combine that with the Lakefront Path, and you've got an excellent (but cold) open water swimming area right in Chicago's back yard.

Open Water Swimming Races: 
Big Shoulders Open Water Swim Classic

Stanford Dish Trail

The Stanford Dish is a 4 mile paved trail that is great for jogging or walking. The trail is open from sunrise to sunset, and gets very popular.

4.00miles

San Jose Camping

Submitted by jlinwood on Sun, 2011-07-31 23:47

Camping options are pretty good if you're willing to drive an hour or so out of San Jose for your tent camping escape.

Henry Coe State Park is southeast of San Jose - it looks close on the map, but the entrance drive can take forever!

San Francisco Camping

Submitted by jlinwood on Sun, 2011-07-31 23:27

Camping in San Francisco - we hate to break it to you that there aren't any campgrounds in San Francisco proper. You'll have to set up your tent further down the peninsula or across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.

McQueen's Island Historic Trail

The rails to trail follows the bed of the historic Savannah-Tybee Island Railroad for six miles near Fort Pulaski National Monument on Tybee Island. It's probably not the best surface for running, as its pretty soft calcite gravel, but it does change things up from running on the roads.

6.00miles

New River Linear Trail

The New River Linear Trail is open for hikers, runners, and mountain bikers - access to the trail is still being developed, but it makes a nice getaway from Savannah or Hilton Head for runners.

5.00miles

Savannah

When to come?: 

Savannah is perfect in winter - soft breezes, humidity from the ocean, warm weather. Spring and fall are nice too, but skip summer if you want to gt your long runs in without melting.

Where can I go to get out away from the city, without driving too far?: 

Skidaway Island State Park is only 15 miles southeast of the city, and it's a really nice getaway for camping, hiking or mountain biking.

What mountains/hills can I hike nearby?: 

There are no real hills or mountains anywhere near Savannah - just low marshes, woods, and grasslands. You'd have to drive about 5 hours to the Appalachians to do any real mountain hikes, though it certainly does get hillier further inland in Georgia

What outdoorsy stuff is way overrated in this town?: 

Running through Forsyth Park looks like it might be fun, but it's not that big - do it once or twice, or maybe make it part of a run through the whole historic district.

Houston Swimming

Submitted by jlinwood on Mon, 2011-07-04 08:46

Houston is surrounded by water, but water quality issues make a lot of it unusable for swimming in - trust us, you don't want to do your triathlon practice in Buffalo Bayou. Boat traffic makes a lot of other areas a little scary - that's why we recommend Lake 288 in south Houston (down towards Brazos Bend State Park) - it's just for scuba diving and open water swimming.

If you want to practice in salt water, you can head down to the gulf and swim there - just be careful with the currents. Even Galveston Bay has pretty strong currents and can have a surprising chop.

Dallas Swimming

Submitted by jlinwood on Mon, 2011-07-04 07:37

Dallas (and the rest of the Metroplex) have a ton of lakes for open water swimming. Do be aware that there is a lot of boat traffic on most of these lakes, so you can't just go across them - stick to the no-wake zones or to protected coves.

Some favorites include
Lake Lewisville - Pier 121
Lake Grapevine - Murrell Park
Lake Lavon - Brockdale Park

Syndicate content