2022
Grand Haven Triathlon - July 8, 2022. I was first in my age group (the only person in my age group.)
2021
Mud Run - August 2021. It was work, but it was fun!
2021
Grand Haven Triathlon
I won my age group - of course, the only one in my age group.
There were no events in 2020 due to COVID.
2019
A T-Shirt Quilt I received for Christmas with some of the races I’ve done.
2019
Running in Grand Haven is always an adventure! In the picture above, I’m heading out to run in a gale – the wind was 35 MPH at the beach, which is exciting, and then there is running on the sandbags where the water is over the road. On days that the wind isn’t as strong, running on the pier, with the waves breaking over it, is a thrill – and the lake is beautiful.
I didn’t do all I had planned this year. I ran the 25K in Grand Rapids in early May, then discovered two days later that the retina in my right eye had detached – so I spent ten weeks recovering from surgery, which went perfectly – got my vision back to 100%, which is the critical thing. I did the 1/2 marathon in Spring Lake in September and will train for 2020.
2018
The big race of the year was when I finished the Steelhead Ironman 70.3! 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run. Lake Michigan had a 2-3’ chop, which made for a challenging swim, and by the time I got to the run, it was effectively 90 degrees, full sun, and little breeze. Finishing was an accomplishment!
2018
Running in the heat.
Almost to the finish line!
2018
Biking ... stronger at first.
2018
I finished the Grand Haven Triathlon – first in my age group!
2018
I finished the Grand Rapids Triathlon, in June 2018.
2018
I finished the Bear Lake Olympic Triathlon first in my age group! The only one in my age group, but it still counts.
2018
I finished the 25K at the Grand Rapids River Run, June, 2018. I haven’t run that far in a lot of years!
2018
Finishing the Grand Rapids Marathon, 26.2, October 21, 2018
2017
The big race of the year – finished a 70.3 Ironman Triathlon at Michigan Titanium in Grand Rapids on 08/20/17.
2017
... and my support staff running across the line with me! Actually finished in 8 hours 10 minutes; the clock shows 9 because the full-length group went out an hour earlier.
On July 30, 2017, I did the Coast Guard City Century Tour in Grand Haven – a 100-mile bike ride, starting in Grand Haven, going north up to Muskegon, east over to Allendale, south down to Holland, and then back up to Grand Haven. A LONG ride – I had never ridden that far. I’d done a 60-mile ride and didn’t think it would be that different. At mile 65, my legs began to protest. At the beginning of the race, I looked at the group of about 80-100 people, all in bike spandex, and concluded that I was going to be at the end of the pack – and I was. But it was a beautiful day for a ride, sunny with a cool breeze. I finished in 8 hours and 15 minutes, and everyone had gone home by then! I didn’t get any pictures (again).
I signed up for the Grand Haven Triathlon on July 9, but it was canceled. Grand Haven had a massive storm a few days before, and the bike course was unusable. Since I had paid for a hotel, I went to Grand Haven, swam a mile in Lake Michigan, and then ran 12 miles – my own mini-triathlon.
I finished the Grand Rapids Olympic Triathlon in Ada on June 11. I don’t have any pictures – the triathlon is about a mile from parking, so the family went shopping instead of standing in the sun. I didn’t seem to be photogenic enough that the course photographers took any pictures of me. I was 3rd in my age group! It was a lovely swim and bike, but it was in the 80s by the time of the run. I kept putting ice under my hat, which helped a lot but may explain why they didn’t take pictures of me.
2017
Finished the Olympic-length Bear Lake Park Triathlon in Muskegon on 05/28/17. That was a hard one! Still hadn’t recovered from the 51-mile bike ride the week before. Got a medal for 1st in my age group – I was the only one in my age group, but that is just the small print.
2017
I was finishing up the Zoo de Mac in May 2017. A 51-mile bike from Boyne Highlands to Mackinaw City – the first 25 miles wasn’t bad (very pretty, actually), but the remaining 26 miles were into a headwind of 15-20 MPH.
2017
Running in the Grand Rapids River Run, May, 2017 – a group of us ran the 10K.
2016
Before the start of the Grand Rapids Zombie run a 5K where we were chased by Zombies. the white strips on our pants were our ‘lives’ – if the zombies got all three, bad. I lost two of mine – those zombies were fast!
2016
Heather and I running the Detroit 1/2 marathon – this is just coming out of the tunnel back into the US.
2016
Finishing at the Lansing River Run 1/2 Marathon – I don’t think I was quite as tired as I look.
2016
Heather and I finishing at Reeds Lake Sprint Triathlon. It was Heather’s first triathlon, and her bike wasn’t working right – she had only a low and a high gear, which made for a long bike ride. But we finished!
2016
My trophy from the Michigan Titanium Triathlon looks much better than it actually was: I was 2nd in my age group (65+) out of the 3 of us doing the Olympic distance, but it still looks nice!
2016
After the Mercy Health Tour de Rapids: from left to right, me, Kristen Vandyke, Heather Wallace, Liam Wallace, and Tim Johnson. Liam, Tim, and I did the 60-mile ride, and Heather and Kristen did the 10-mile ride. The first two hours of the ride were rain and a headwind, which finally stopped, and the sun came out as we finished. It was a great experience, the longest bike ride I’ve done.
2016
Finishing the 26-mile bike at the Millennium (MilTri) Triathlon in Grand Rapids. I finished 2nd in my age group, but only two were in my age group.
2016
July 2016 – we finished the Insane Inflatable 5K, climbing over stuff in the rain – it was fun!
Heather, me, Holly & Bella (clockwise from the top left)
2015
Finishing Island Lake Fall Triathlon, Sept 2015 – I did the Olympic length, and it was 85-90 degrees with 85-90 percent humidity – the run was brutal. I took second place, but there were only two in my age group. There are some advantages to getting older.
2015
Finishing Island Lake Triathlon, July, 2015 – I did the Olympic length, and it was 85-90 degrees with 85-90 percent humidity – the run was brutal. I took second place, but only two were in my age group. There are some advantages to getting older.
2014
Finishing the bike part of the Ada sprint triathlon, May 2014.
2013
This is me, August 2013, after completing the mud run in Grand Rapids. It was fun!