Northern Michigan’s largest brand puts on one of the best athletic events of the year. At 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, 900 racers will line up for the ninth annual M22 Challenge. The race includes a 2.5-mile run, 17-mile bicycle ride, and 2.5-mile paddle — making it the most unique “tri” event in northern Michigan.
Online registration for the ninth annual M22 Challenge will go “live” at 8 a.m. on March 1. The event, to be held Saturday, June 10, near the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb, is capped at 900 athletes and in the past several years has reached capacity within 15 minutes.
“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.
Check out this video of last year’s M-22 Challenge. This unique triathlon features a run up the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb, a bike race around the Glen Lakes and a paddle on Little Glen Lake.
Voted the Best Endurance Event in Northern Michigan by Traverse Magazine, the M-22 Challenge has become the “must do” event for athletes of all calibers. This run-bike-paddle race is hosted in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. This year’s M-22 Challenge will take place on Saturday, June 13, at 8 a.m.
The seventh annual M-22 Challenge, the popular and unique triathlon in the Sleeping Bear Dunes and around the majestic Glen Lakes, will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2015. The race is presented by Northpeak Brewing Company.
Maybe it’s true—the third time is a charm. Though my first two M22 Challenges—the first in 2011, my second in ’13—were fantastic experiences, this year’s event proved especially rewarding. Not just because I made it to the podium—a first in my seven years of racing!—but because I felt so strong throughout this 22-mile run-bike-paddle race. Is there anything better than a race where everything just clicks?
Online registration for the fifth annual M-22 Challenge begins at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 1, and will likely sell out within hours. This year’s Challenge will be held on Saturday, June 8. This dynamic spring alternative triathlon has quickly become one of Leelanau County’s most popular annual events. Don’t miss your small window of opportunity to take part!
She’s back again and holding on to her trophy. Keri Pawielski of St. Joseph, Mich., claimed first place in the women’s division of the M-22 Challenge for the fourth year in a row with a time of 1:23:43. Pawielski also took home the Queen of the Dune trophy for reaching the top of the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb first.
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, 548 athletes took off from the start line on M-109 in Glen Arbor and prepared to race up the Sleeping Bear Dunes “Dune Climb.” It would only be the start of a challenging event which also includes a 17.5-mile bike race around Big and Little Glen Lake and a 2.5-mile paddle in Little Glen Lake.