The annual M22 Challenge takes place on Saturday, June 8, beginning at 8 a.m., on M-109 near the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb. The run-bike-paddle triathlon capitalizes on the majestic landscape and waterscape of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
“This was the hardest year yet,” Jeff Smoke declared as he crossed the finish line to win the 2016 M22 Challenge, which was held on Saturday, June 11 — his fifth time earning that title. “The competition keeps getting harder.” Smoke, 38, of Niles, Mich., kayaked on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team. Smoke won this year’s race with an overall time of 1:11:29, and most impressive was his paddle time — just 14 minutes and 44 seconds.